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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. rash — hasty
  3. press — to push
  4. rash — a series
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. fork — in a road
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. net — in sport
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. press — newspapers
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. roll — a list
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. mine — for digging
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. roll — a cake
  22. net — after costs
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. net — for catching

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