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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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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: chest · arm · perch · court · press · present · last · firm

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. present — the time now
  4. court — of a king
  5. press — to push
  6. chest — of your body
  7. firm — decided
  8. court — of law
  9. last — finally
  10. court — for sport
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. chest — of your body
  13. last — final
  14. perch — the fish
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — newspapers
  19. firm — steady
  20. present — a gift
  21. firm — a company
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. chest — a box
  24. last — to go on

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