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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: ground · press · chair · lie · rest · content · hide · charge

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. ground — crushed
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. press — to push
  5. charge — electricity
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. press — newspapers
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. rest — what's left
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a leader
  14. lie — to recline
  15. press — a publisher
  16. rest — a break
  17. charge — a price
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. content — the amount
  20. charge — in control
  21. content — happy
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — a position

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