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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. roll — a cake
  4. press — a publisher
  5. craft — boats
  6. deal — to handle
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mark — a trace
  12. craft — a skill
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. roll — a list
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. row — to paddle
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. row — a line
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. mark — a grade
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. press — newspapers

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