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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.

Make a worksheet

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

Word bank: press · key · game · chest · roll · season · pound · hide

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. key — for a lock
  3. roll — a list
  4. press — to push
  5. game — wild animals
  6. key — in music
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. press — a publisher
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. game — a match
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. pound — a weight
  13. season — in sport
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. press — newspapers
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. key — the most important part
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. chest — of your body
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. chest — a box
  22. roll — a cake
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. season — of the year

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