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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: hand · press · hide · pit · snap · chair · charge · temple

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pit — a hole
  6. press — a publisher
  7. charge — in control
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. pit — in a race
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. charge — a price
  12. chair — a leader
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. charge — electricity
  18. press — to push
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. press — newspapers
  23. snap — to click
  24. chair — to sit 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