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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: chest · press · firm · rush · cue · chip · band · rest

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. band — a ring
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rest — what's left
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cue — for pool
  7. band — a music group
  8. chip — for betting
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chest — of your body
  12. firm — steady
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cue — a signal
  15. firm — decided
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. chest — a box
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. press — newspapers
  21. rest — what's left
  22. firm — a company
  23. rest — a break
  24. press — a publisher

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