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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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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 · wound · foot · safe · press · swing · pass · rest

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. press — to push
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wound — an injury
  10. chest — of your body
  11. press — newspapers
  12. pass — a permit
  13. rest — a break
  14. chest — a box
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. press — a publisher
  17. wound — an injury
  18. swing — music
  19. swing — to play on
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. chest — of your body
  22. foot — a measure
  23. swing — in golf
  24. rest — what's left

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