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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. kid — to tease
  3. track — to keep track
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — a position
  6. chest — of your body
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. bank — of a river
  9. chest — a box
  10. press — a publisher
  11. ground — the earth
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. kid — child
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. track — a path
  16. bank — for money
  17. pop — to visit
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. pop — soda
  20. track — a song
  21. press — newspapers
  22. pop — music
  23. press — to push
  24. bank — for money

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