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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: stand · swing · press · chest · firm · pitcher · toast · snap

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. firm — decided
  4. snap — to click
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — in golf
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. press — newspapers
  10. firm — steady
  11. press — a publisher
  12. firm — a company
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. press — to push
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. swing — music
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. chest — of your body
  22. stand — to bear
  23. toast — bread
  24. chest — a box

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