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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 120 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. chest — of your body
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. press — to push
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. track — to keep track
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. rush — hurry
  9. press — newspapers
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. squash — to crush
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. squash — the sport
  20. wake — a trail
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. track — a song
  23. press — a publisher
  24. track — a path

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