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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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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: fork · cold · pit · bank · press · chip · lash · chair

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. pit — in a race
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. fork — in a road
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chip — for betting
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. cold — not warm
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. chair — a leader
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — newspapers
  17. pit — a hole
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. bank — for money
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chip — to eat
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cold — the Cold War

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