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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: press · chest · pass · racket · track · kick · drill · chip

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. drill — the tool
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. drill — a practice
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chip — to eat
  8. pass — a permit
  9. track — to keep track
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. press — to push
  13. chest — of your body
  14. press — a publisher
  15. track — a path
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — in football
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. track — a song
  21. press — newspapers
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. drill — army training
  24. kick — a thrill

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