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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. press — to push
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. press — newspapers
  5. ground — crushed
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. degree — temperature
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. land — to come down
  12. ground — a position
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. kick — in football
  15. land — a country
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. degree — from a university
  18. deal — to handle
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. land — ground
  21. ground — the earth
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. degree — an amount
  24. press — a publisher

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