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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. lie — to recline
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. cold — not warm
  5. chest — of your body
  6. date — the fruit
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. press — a publisher
  9. chest — a box
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. press — newspapers
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. press — to push
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. cold — an illness
  23. date — on the calendar
  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