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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. charge — a price
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. roll — a list
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. press — a publisher
  10. rush — hurry
  11. press — to push
  12. cold — not warm
  13. charge — in control
  14. press — newspapers
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. charge — electricity
  23. roll — a cake
  24. cold — an illness

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