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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chest · root · press · sharp · arm · bowl · charge · ground

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — in control
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. sharp — clever
  6. chest — a box
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. press — a publisher
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. root — of a plant
  12. press — to push
  13. press — newspapers
  14. root — of a word
  15. ground — the earth
  16. root — the cause
  17. ground — crushed
  18. chest — of your body
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. charge — electricity
  23. ground — a position
  24. sharp — with an edge

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