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

Word bank: chest · deal · mouse · field · press · toast

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. chest — a box
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. press — to push
  5. field — farmland
  6. chest — of your body
  7. field — a subject
  8. chest — of your body
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. field — for sport
  14. toast — bread
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. deal — to handle
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. press — a publisher

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