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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
468
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: chest · press · lie · rash · chair · fan · trunk · cue

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. press — a publisher
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. cue — a signal
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. press — to push
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. chest — of your body
  11. lie — to recline
  12. rash — hasty
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. chest — a box
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rash — a series
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cue — for pool
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. press — newspapers
  24. chair — a leader

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