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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · press · temple · field · stock · kick

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. press — newspapers
  4. kick — in football
  5. press — to push
  6. chest — a box
  7. stock — goods
  8. field — a subject
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. field — for sport
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. field — farmland
  13. press — a publisher
  14. stock — shares
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. chest — of your body
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. stock — a soup base

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