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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: mouse · chest · press · ball · last · toast · plane · date

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. chest — of your body
  3. ball — a dance
  4. last — to go on
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. last — final
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. press — to push
  9. chest — of your body
  10. last — finally
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. chest — a box
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. press — newspapers
  18. ball — a great time
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — the fruit
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. toast — bread
  24. ball — a round shape

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