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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — size or range
  5. chest — of your body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. cue — a hint
  8. file — a document
  9. scale — in music
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. press — a publisher
  12. cue — a signal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. cue — for pool
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. press — newspapers
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a tool
  20. chest — of your body
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. chest — a box
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. arm — part of the body

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