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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: press · suit · foot · net · date · chest · roll · land

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. chest — a box
  3. net — after costs
  4. suit — to fit
  5. foot — a measure
  6. roll — a list
  7. roll — a cake
  8. press — to push
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. suit — in cards
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. chest — of your body
  13. press — newspapers
  14. chest — of your body
  15. date — the fruit
  16. land — a country
  17. suit — clothes
  18. press — a publisher
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. land — ground
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. land — to come down

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