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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 · board · toast · pitcher · ground · mine · press · jam

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. press — newspapers
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. toast — bread
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. press — a publisher
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. mine — for digging
  14. ground — a position
  15. board — a committee
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. ground — crushed
  19. press — to push
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. ground — the earth
  23. board — to get on
  24. jam — a tight spot

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