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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. can — to be able to
  4. can — a tin
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. press — newspapers
  7. band — a music group
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. band — a ring
  11. press — a publisher
  12. can — a tin
  13. chest — a box
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. press — to push
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. chest — of your body
  22. cold — not warm
  23. toast — bread
  24. cold — an illness

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