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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 120 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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bulb — for light
  3. fall — the season
  4. press — a publisher
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. press — newspapers
  7. mark — a trace
  8. fall — to drop
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. stock — shares
  13. kick — in football
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. stock — goods
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. press — to push
  19. fall — to drop
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. mark — a grade
  23. bulb — for light
  24. trunk — of a tree

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