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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. vault — a safe
  5. press — a publisher
  6. bass — the fish
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. saw — the tool
  9. hand — help
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. craft — a skill
  15. press — newspapers
  16. cap — a lid
  17. press — to push
  18. cap — a hat
  19. craft — boats
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. arm — a part of something

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