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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: rash · pit · charge · press · net · chair · stick · drill

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  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. rash — a series
  2. net — after costs
  3. drill — a practice
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. net — for catching
  9. press — newspapers
  10. press — a publisher
  11. rash — hasty
  12. charge — in control
  13. net — in sport
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. drill — army training
  16. pit — in a race
  17. press — to push
  18. pit — a hole
  19. chair — a leader
  20. charge — a price
  21. drill — the tool
  22. charge — electricity
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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