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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. net — in sport
  4. capital — a city
  5. pop — music
  6. press — to push
  7. bound — tied together
  8. press — a publisher
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. capital — money
  12. bound — obliged
  13. spell — a short time
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — for catching
  16. pop — soda
  17. press — newspapers
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bound — certain
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — magic
  23. pop — to visit
  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