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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. wake — a trail
  6. press — to push
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — music
  9. face — part of the head
  10. stock — shares
  11. press — a publisher
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. press — newspapers
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. face — to confront
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. chest — of your body
  18. foot — a measure
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. stock — goods
  22. chest — a box
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. face — to point toward

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