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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. swing — to play on
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. rush — hurry
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. wound — an injury
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. press — to push
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. chest — of your body
  12. swing — music
  13. snap — to click
  14. swing — in golf
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. chest — of your body
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. press — newspapers
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stand — to bear
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. chest — a box
  24. press — a publisher

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