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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: chair · chest · face · press · tube · club · present · spell

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. tube — the underground
  3. club — a group
  4. present — the time now
  5. spell — a short time
  6. face — part of the head
  7. present — there
  8. present — a gift
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. press — newspapers
  11. tube — a container
  12. spell — magic
  13. press — a publisher
  14. spell — letters
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — to confront
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. chair — a leader
  21. club — for golf
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — a box
  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