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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
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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: game · face · suit · chair · press · arm · spring · charge

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. chair — a leader
  3. game — a match
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. face — part of the head
  6. suit — clothes
  7. game — wild animals
  8. suit — to fit
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. suit — in cards
  11. spring — the season
  12. charge — electricity
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. spring — of water
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. spring — a coil
  17. face — to point toward
  18. press — a publisher
  19. charge — a price
  20. charge — in control
  21. press — newspapers
  22. face — to confront
  23. press — to push
  24. arm — part of the body

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