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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: hand · rest · jam · roll · fine · chest · press · deal

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  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. jam — to spread on bread
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. hand — in cards
  4. roll — a list
  5. hand — help
  6. deal — to handle
  7. chest — of your body
  8. press — newspapers
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. rest — what's left
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. fine — all right
  13. fine — high quality
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. press — a publisher
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. rest — a break
  19. press — to push
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. roll — a cake
  22. chest — of your body
  23. rest — what's left
  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