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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 120 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: bark · staff · net · chest · cold · press · mug · pass

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bark — to shout
  3. chest — a box
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. press — a publisher
  8. net — for catching
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cold — not warm
  11. pass — a permit
  12. net — in sport
  13. staff — employees
  14. mug — to rob
  15. press — to push
  16. mug — a cup
  17. net — after costs
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. press — newspapers
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. staff — a stick
  22. cold — an illness
  23. staff — employees
  24. mug — a face

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