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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. press — to push
  3. fine — high quality
  4. root — of a plant
  5. board — a committee
  6. ball — a dance
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a great time
  11. fine — all right
  12. season — in sport
  13. wake — a trail
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a word
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. press — newspapers
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. chest — of your body
  20. board — to get on
  21. press — a publisher
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. chest — a box

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