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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'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. lean — thin
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. can — a tin
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. press — a publisher
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. can — to be able to
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. press — newspapers
  14. can — a tin
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. lean — to bend
  17. dip — to sink
  18. press — to push

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