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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.

Make a worksheet

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: press · squash · bear · court · chair · hide · racket · arm

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bear — the animal
  4. press — a publisher
  5. squash — the sport
  6. court — for sport
  7. squash — to crush
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. press — newspapers
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. bear — the animal
  15. court — of a king
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. press — to push
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. court — of law
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. bear — to put up with

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