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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. ground — the earth
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. chest — a box
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. ground — crushed
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — to wash
  12. wind — moving air
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. press — to push
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. press — newspapers
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. press — a publisher
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. ground — a position

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