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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. net — after costs
  4. last — to go on
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. chip — for betting
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. last — finally
  9. press — newspapers
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. last — final
  12. press — a publisher
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. net — in sport
  15. press — to push
  16. chip — to eat
  17. net — for catching
  18. chip — in a computer

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