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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. mine — for digging
  3. present — a gift
  4. chest — of your body
  5. fall — the season
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. press — to push
  8. stem — to come from
  9. present — the time now
  10. bulb — for light
  11. press — newspapers
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. present — there
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. fall — to drop
  21. press — a publisher
  22. chest — of your body
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. pitch — completely

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