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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. saw — the tool
  3. stand — to bear
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. chest — a box
  6. press — a publisher
  7. suit — in cards
  8. saw — the tool
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. suit — to fit
  13. object — to protest
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. object — an aim
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. press — newspapers
  18. object — a thing
  19. suit — clothes
  20. cell — a phone
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. cell — in biology
  24. press — to push

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