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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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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: kick · shower · mark · staff · hide · chair · press · ruler

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. shower — rain
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. mark — a trace
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. staff — employees
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — newspapers
  15. shower — to wash
  16. chair — a leader
  17. press — to push
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. mark — a grade
  21. kick — in football
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. chair — to sit on

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