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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: press · kick · wound · kid · coach · season · lie · cabinet

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. press — newspapers
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. press — to push
  6. press — a publisher
  7. kick — in football
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. wound — an injury
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. kid — child
  20. season — in sport
  21. kid — to tease
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. season — of the year
  24. wound — an injury

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