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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. mate — a partner
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. mine — for digging
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. snap — to click
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. rush — hurry
  14. press — to push
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — a publisher
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. mate — a friend
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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