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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 · rest · firm · season · tear · press · ground · sharp

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  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. sharp — exactly
  2. chest — a box
  3. rest — what's left
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. ground — a position
  7. press — newspapers
  8. sharp — clever
  9. tear — from crying
  10. firm — a company
  11. press — to push
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. ground — the earth
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. ground — crushed
  18. rest — a break
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rest — what's left
  21. chest — of your body
  22. press — a publisher
  23. firm — steady
  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