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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  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. press — to push
  2. press — a publisher
  3. kid — child
  4. present — a gift
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. swing — to play on
  8. press — newspapers
  9. present — there
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. season — of the year
  12. kid — to tease
  13. swing — music
  14. bear — the animal
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bear — the animal
  17. swing — in golf
  18. present — the time now
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. season — in sport
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. arm — part of the body
  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