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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: press · snap · chest · court · mug · bound · board · temple

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. press — a publisher
  3. mug — a face
  4. mug — to rob
  5. chest — of your body
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. board — a committee
  8. court — of law
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. snap — to click
  11. bound — obliged
  12. board — to get on
  13. court — of a king
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. chest — a box
  16. bound — certain
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bound — tied together
  20. mug — a cup
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. chest — of your body
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — to push

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