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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 120 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. present — a gift
  3. press — newspapers
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. drill — army training
  7. pop — music
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. squash — the sport
  10. drill — the tool
  11. press — a publisher
  12. pit — a hole
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pop — to visit
  16. chest — of your body
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — to grow
  19. pop — soda
  20. present — the time now
  21. squash — to crush
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. drill — a practice
  24. present — there

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