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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: key · press · staff · trunk · toast · kid · arm · chest

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. key — the most important part
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. staff — a stick
  5. key — for a lock
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. kid — child
  8. press — newspapers
  9. chest — of your body
  10. toast — bread
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. press — to push
  16. chest — a box
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. kid — to tease
  19. staff — employees
  20. press — a publisher
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. chest — of your body
  23. staff — employees
  24. arm — part of the body

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