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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. can — a tin
  6. band — a ring
  7. press — a publisher
  8. can — to be able to
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. cold — not warm
  15. press — to push
  16. band — a music group
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. press — newspapers
  22. cold — an illness
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. squash — the sport

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