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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. ground — the earth
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. chest — a box
  5. ground — a position
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. press — to push
  8. lean — to bend
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bass — the fish
  11. rush — hurry
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bass — low music
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. chest — of your body
  17. lean — thin
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. press — newspapers
  22. press — a publisher
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. tube — a container

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