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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.

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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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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: firm · cue · chest · press · stick · face · snap · board

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. face — to point toward
  3. cue — for pool
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a committee
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. press — to push
  8. chest — a box
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to click
  12. cue — a signal
  13. firm — a company
  14. press — a publisher
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — part of the head
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. firm — steady
  19. cue — a hint
  20. press — newspapers
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. firm — decided

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