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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 120 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: rest · saw · content · kick · press · hide · charge · fall

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. press — to push
  4. rest — a break
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. content — the amount
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. charge — electricity
  11. rest — what's left
  12. charge — a price
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. fall — the season
  15. rest — what's left
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. press — newspapers
  18. kick — in football
  19. content — happy
  20. fall — to drop
  21. charge — in control
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. press — a publisher
  24. hide — to keep secret

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