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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — a box
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. pop — music
  7. press — newspapers
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. pop — to visit
  13. wake — a trail
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chip — to eat
  16. press — to push
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. squash — the sport
  19. chest — of your body
  20. press — a publisher
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. pop — soda
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. squash — to crush

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