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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. roll — a cake
  3. press — newspapers
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. press — a publisher
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. chest — a box
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bass — the fish
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bass — low music
  16. fall — the season
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — to come from
  19. pitch — completely
  20. fall — to drop
  21. hand — help
  22. chest — of your body
  23. roll — a list
  24. chest — of your body

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