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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: net · arm · press · content · file · tube · roll · chest

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. press — newspapers
  3. chest — of your body
  4. tube — the underground
  5. press — a publisher
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. press — to push
  9. net — in sport
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. roll — a cake
  12. file — a line of people
  13. content — the amount
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. content — happy
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. roll — a list
  18. chest — a box
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. chest — of your body
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a tool
  24. tube — a container

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