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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bank — for money
  4. press — to push
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. bank — of a river
  7. ground — crushed
  8. hand — help
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. rush — hurry
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. ground — the earth
  13. chest — of your body
  14. press — newspapers
  15. bank — for money
  16. chest — of your body
  17. ground — a position
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. hand — in cards
  21. chest — a box
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. press — a publisher
  24. hand — 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