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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 · shower · toast · fall · rest · press

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. press — newspapers
  3. rest — what's left
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. rest — what's left
  8. press — a publisher
  9. toast — bread
  10. chest — of your body
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. rest — a break
  13. press — to push
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. chest — of your body
  16. shower — to wash
  17. chest — a box
  18. shower — rain

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