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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. rest — what's left
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bulb — for light
  6. march — music
  7. bass — low music
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. march — the month
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. press — a publisher
  15. bass — the fish
  16. march — the month
  17. rest — a break
  18. date — the fruit
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. press — newspapers
  23. bulb — for light
  24. arm — 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