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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: board · squash · chest · press · object · kick · chair · last

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. board — to get on
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. last — finally
  5. press — newspapers
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. object — an aim
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. kick — in football
  11. squash — the sport
  12. last — final
  13. chest — of your body
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. chest — a box
  16. press — a publisher
  17. board — a committee
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. press — to push
  21. squash — to crush
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — to protest
  24. last — to go 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