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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. bank — for money
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. net — in sport
  6. press — a publisher
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. net — for catching
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. roll — a list
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. roll — a cake
  13. press — to push
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. deal — to handle
  17. chest — of your body
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. net — after costs
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bank — for money
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bank — of a river

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