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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 120 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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mark — a trace
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. press — a publisher
  24. leaves — lets stay

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