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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: track · chest · fan · snap · press · rule · stand · hide

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. track — to keep track
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. track — a path
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. chest — of your body
  7. press — a publisher
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. stand — to bear
  11. rule — a law
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. snap — to click
  16. press — newspapers
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. press — to push
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. track — a song
  24. chest — a box

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