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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: chest · racket · club · press · cell · mug · chip · hand

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chest — of your body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. press — newspapers
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. press — a publisher
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. hand — help
  10. club — a group
  11. cell — a phone
  12. chest — of your body
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. club — for golf
  15. cell — in biology
  16. club — for dancing
  17. mug — to rob
  18. press — to push
  19. mug — a cup
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chest — a box
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. mug — a face

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