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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: straw · chip · bore · board · chest · foot · press · lie

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. press — a publisher
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. bore — to tire
  6. chip — to eat
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bore — to drill
  9. chest — of your body
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. lie — to recline
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. press — to push
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a committee
  18. chest — a box
  19. press — newspapers
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. chip — for betting
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. foot — a measure

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