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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. press — a publisher
  6. charge — electricity
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. press — to push
  9. charge — in control
  10. band — a music group
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. charge — a price
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. pitch — completely
  15. band — a ring
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. press — newspapers
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. chest — a box

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