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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: game · wave · chest · press · club · stick

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. press — newspapers
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. press — a publisher
  9. game — wild animals
  10. club — for dancing
  11. club — a group
  12. chest — of your body
  13. club — for golf
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. game — a match
  17. chest — of your body
  18. press — to push

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