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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. press — a publisher
  3. press — newspapers
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. cell — in biology
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cold — not warm
  11. spring — the season
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — an illness
  14. spring — a coil
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. rock — a stone
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. spring — of water
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. cell — a phone
  21. rock — music
  22. object — an aim
  23. object — to protest
  24. press — to push

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