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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: file · chest · dip · mug · press · snap · march · object

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. file — a line of people
  3. march — the month
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. chest — of your body
  6. press — to push
  7. dip — to sink
  8. mug — to rob
  9. march — the month
  10. file — a document
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. file — a tool
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. object — a thing
  15. march — music
  16. press — a publisher
  17. mug — a cup
  18. chest — a box
  19. object — an aim
  20. object — to protest
  21. press — newspapers
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. mug — a face
  24. snap — to click

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