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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. cell — a phone
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bass — the fish
  6. march — the month
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. press — to push
  10. bear — the animal
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — low music
  14. march — the month
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bear — the animal
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. march — music
  21. prune — to trim
  22. press — a publisher
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. prune — the fruit

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