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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  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. bat — in an idiom
  2. track — a song
  3. bat — the animal
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. track — to keep track
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. track — a path
  8. chair — a leader
  9. press — newspapers
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. key — the most important part
  12. wax — to grow
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. field — for sport
  17. press — a publisher
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — in music
  20. field — farmland
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. field — a subject
  23. press — to push
  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