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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. row — a line
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. file — a document
  6. press — newspapers
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. press — to push
  9. row — to paddle
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. band — a ring
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. file — a tool
  15. rest — a break
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. rest — what's left
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. band — a music group
  22. file — a line of people
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. rest — what's left

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