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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. squash — to crush
  3. ball — a great time
  4. press — a publisher
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. net — after costs
  9. suit — to fit
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a dance
  13. press — newspapers
  14. chest — of your body
  15. suit — in cards
  16. chest — a box
  17. net — for catching
  18. suit — clothes
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. pitch — completely
  21. squash — the sport
  22. net — in sport
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. press — to push

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