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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: chair · pass · press · hand · present · net · kid · lie

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. press — newspapers
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. press — to push
  6. net — in sport
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. present — a gift
  9. present — the time now
  10. hand — in cards
  11. kid — to tease
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. present — there
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — child
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. chair — a leader
  20. net — for catching
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. press — a publisher
  23. lie — to recline
  24. hand — help

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