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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. chest — of your body
  3. face — part of the head
  4. bear — the animal
  5. roll — a cake
  6. row — to paddle
  7. chest — a box
  8. press — to push
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. roll — a list
  11. row — a line
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bear — the animal
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — employees
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — a publisher
  19. staff — a stick
  20. face — to point toward
  21. kick — in football
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. face — to confront
  24. chest — of your body

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