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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. toast — bread
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. fall — to drop
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. board — a committee
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bank — of a river
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — to push
  14. bank — for money
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. bank — for money
  17. board — to get on
  18. press — newspapers
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — a series
  21. chest — of your body
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. toast — the most admired

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