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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: press · rock · net · wound · snap · board · chip · arm

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. rock — music
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. wound — an injury
  6. board — a committee
  7. board — to get on
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. press — to push
  10. chip — to eat
  11. net — after costs
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. net — for catching
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. press — a publisher
  18. rock — a stone
  19. chip — for betting
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. net — in sport
  23. wound — an injury
  24. press — newspapers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com