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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: chest · present · charge · rash · hand · press · bat · tube

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — a container
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — to push
  7. press — a publisher
  8. charge — electricity
  9. chest — a box
  10. hand — in cards
  11. present — the time now
  12. hand — help
  13. present — a gift
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — the animal
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. charge — a price
  19. charge — in control
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — a series
  22. present — there
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. hand — part of the body

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