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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. press — a publisher
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — high quality
  5. file — a line of people
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — to push
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. hand — in cards
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. hand — help
  15. firm — steady
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. board — a committee
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. firm — a company
  20. stem — to come from
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a document
  24. firm — decided

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