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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: rush · stand · cabinet · snap · mate · chest · pit · press

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. snap — to click
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. stand — to bear
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mate — a partner
  11. press — newspapers
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. mate — a friend
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. mate — to breed
  17. pit — in a race
  18. press — a publisher
  19. pit — a hole
  20. chest — a box
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. rush — hurry
  24. press — to push

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