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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: temple · lash · press · chair · last · calf · snap · jam

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. press — newspapers
  5. press — a publisher
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. last — finally
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. last — final
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. last — to go on
  13. press — to push
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. chair — a leader
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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