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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. craft — a skill
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pop — soda
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. chest — of your body
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. press — to push
  9. stand — to bear
  10. pop — music
  11. craft — boats
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. face — to point toward
  14. pop — to visit
  15. face — to confront
  16. press — a publisher
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — hasty
  19. face — part of the head
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. chest — a box
  22. press — newspapers
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. patient — a sick person

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