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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. press — a publisher
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. stem — to come from
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. foot — a measure
  8. cue — for pool
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. cue — a hint
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — a coil
  16. press — to push
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. spring — of water
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. cue — a signal
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. press — newspapers

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