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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. press — a publisher
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. present — there
  5. last — finally
  6. press — to push
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. key — the most important part
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. last — to go on
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. last — final
  16. present — a gift
  17. press — newspapers
  18. present — the time now
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — to tease
  21. key — for a lock
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. leaves — lets stay

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