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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. club — for dancing
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. press — to push
  7. club — for golf
  8. ball — a dance
  9. file — a line of people
  10. mark — a grade
  11. press — a publisher
  12. chest — of your body
  13. club — a group
  14. file — a document
  15. chest — a box
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. row — to paddle
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. file — a tool
  20. mark — a trace
  21. ball — a great time
  22. press — newspapers
  23. row — a line
  24. ball — a round shape

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