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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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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 · mark · kid · chair · press · track · pit · rock

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. mark — a grade
  3. pit — in a race
  4. track — a song
  5. rock — a stone
  6. chair — a leader
  7. press — newspapers
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. kid — child
  14. chest — a box
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. press — a publisher
  17. track — a path
  18. mark — a trace
  19. press — to push
  20. kid — to tease
  21. pit — a hole
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. track — to keep track

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