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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: chest · file · march · coach · can · press · board · hide

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. march — the month
  3. file — a line of people
  4. chest — of your body
  5. file — a document
  6. chest — a box
  7. can — to be able to
  8. board — a committee
  9. chest — of your body
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. march — the month
  12. can — a tin
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. press — newspapers
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. file — a tool
  20. march — music
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. press — to push
  23. can — a tin
  24. coach — a trainer

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