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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. clip — for paper
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. mate — a friend
  6. land — a country
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. clip — a video
  9. land — to come down
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. clip — to cut
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. hand — in cards
  15. press — newspapers
  16. land — ground
  17. press — a publisher
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. press — to push
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a partner
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. hand — help

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