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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. suit — to fit
  4. press — a publisher
  5. game — wild animals
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. scale — size or range
  9. suit — clothes
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. chip — to eat
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. chest — a box
  15. scale — in music
  16. chip — for betting
  17. press — newspapers
  18. date — the fruit
  19. game — a match
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. suit — in cards
  23. press — to push
  24. game — a kind of play

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