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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: bound · press · chip · arm · last · rash · chest · wake

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. chest — a box
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. press — newspapers
  6. bound — tied together
  7. last — finally
  8. bound — certain
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. chip — to eat
  11. rash — hasty
  12. press — a publisher
  13. last — to go on
  14. press — to push
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rash — a series
  21. wake — a trail
  22. chip — for betting
  23. last — final
  24. bound — obliged

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