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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 120 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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. swing — in golf
  3. press — a publisher
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — of a river
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pass — a permit
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. press — to push
  17. bank — for money
  18. swing — to play on
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. swing — music
  22. press — newspapers
  23. kick — in football
  24. cold — an illness

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