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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 124 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: lean · chip · press · pass · hand · chest · ball · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. pass — a permit
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. game — wild animals
  9. press — to push
  10. lean — to bend
  11. ball — a great time
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. press — newspapers
  15. chip — to eat
  16. lean — thin
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chip — for betting
  20. press — a publisher
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — help
  23. ball — a dance
  24. chest — a box

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