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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. craft — a skill
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. rash — a series
  8. lean — thin
  9. chest — of your body
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. press — a publisher
  12. chest — a box
  13. rash — hasty
  14. date — the fruit
  15. staff — a stick
  16. staff — employees
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. staff — employees
  19. craft — boats
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. press — to push
  22. press — newspapers
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. date — on the calendar

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