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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. press — to push
  3. press — newspapers
  4. ground — the earth
  5. cap — a lid
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. ground — crushed
  8. cap — of ice
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fall — the season
  13. press — a publisher
  14. ground — a position
  15. court — of a king
  16. cap — a hat
  17. court — for sport
  18. court — of law
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. fall — to drop
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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