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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: shower · last · press · charge · kick · pop · chest · bore

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. last — to go on
  3. press — a publisher
  4. bore — to drill
  5. last — final
  6. kick — in football
  7. chest — of your body
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. charge — in control
  10. pop — soda
  11. press — newspapers
  12. charge — a price
  13. pop — to visit
  14. press — to push
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — to wash
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. pop — music
  19. last — finally
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bore — to tire
  24. charge — electricity

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