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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. hand — in cards
  3. press — a publisher
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — hurry
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. field — a subject
  10. foot — a measure
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. field — for sport
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. hand — help
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bear — the animal
  19. saw — the tool
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. press — to push
  22. field — farmland
  23. bear — the animal
  24. arm — part of the body

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