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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: drill · press · bat · suit · object · snap · row · chest

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. drill — army training
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. suit — in cards
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. press — newspapers
  9. press — to push
  10. row — a line
  11. object — a thing
  12. chest — a box
  13. bat — the animal
  14. suit — to fit
  15. chest — of your body
  16. snap — to click
  17. suit — clothes
  18. row — to paddle
  19. object — an aim
  20. object — to protest
  21. chest — of your body
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. drill — the tool

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