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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. game — wild animals
  4. net — in sport
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. season — in sport
  7. spring — the season
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. mate — a partner
  10. press — a publisher
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — of the year
  13. net — after costs
  14. game — a match
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. net — for catching
  17. mate — to breed
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. spring — a coil
  21. mate — a friend
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. press — newspapers
  24. spring — of water

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