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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 father caught me by the ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. saw — the tool
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. cell — a phone
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. press — to push
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. tear — from crying
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. saw — the tool
  11. cell — in biology
  12. race — humankind
  13. race — a contest
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. press — a publisher
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. tear — from crying
  19. press — newspapers
  20. race — the arms race
  21. rock — music
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. tear — to rip
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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