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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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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: calf · rush · face · suit · straw · press · chest · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. face — to confront
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. chest — of your body
  7. rush — hurry
  8. mine — for digging
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. suit — in cards
  11. press — to push
  12. face — to point toward
  13. press — newspapers
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. press — a publisher
  16. chest — of your body
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. suit — clothes
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. suit — to fit
  23. face — part of the head
  24. chest — a box

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