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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 · mug · field · pit · press · cold · mouse · fall

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. fall — the season
  3. chest — a box
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. chest — of your body
  7. field — for sport
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. press — a publisher
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — an illness
  13. mug — to rob
  14. pit — a hole
  15. fall — to drop
  16. press — newspapers
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. fall — to drop
  20. field — a subject
  21. chest — of your body
  22. mug — a face
  23. press — to push
  24. field — farmland

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