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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: chest · file · press · roll · game · mine · lean · date

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. press — newspapers
  3. game — a match
  4. chest — of your body
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. roll — a cake
  7. chest — of your body
  8. date — the fruit
  9. roll — a list
  10. mine — for digging
  11. file — a tool
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. press — a publisher
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. chest — a box
  17. file — a line of people
  18. press — to push
  19. lean — thin
  20. game — wild animals
  21. file — a document
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. lean — to bend

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