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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. chest — a box
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. date — the fruit
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. race — humankind
  10. fine — high quality
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. race — the arms race
  13. race — a contest
  14. chest — of your body
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. press — to push
  19. bulb — for light
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. press — newspapers
  22. press — a publisher
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. date — on the calendar

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