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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.

Make a worksheet

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

Words on the sheet
468
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: rash · scale · kid · hide · land · chest · press · charge

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — ground
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. scale — in music
  5. charge — electricity
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. charge — in control
  9. rash — hasty
  10. land — a country
  11. chest — of your body
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. charge — a price
  14. press — newspapers
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rash — a series
  19. press — to push
  20. press — a publisher
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. kid — child
  23. chest — a box
  24. scale — size or range

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