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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. race — humankind
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wake — a trail
  13. press — a publisher
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. race — a contest
  16. swing — music
  17. staff — a stick
  18. press — to push
  19. swing — to play on
  20. staff — employees
  21. race — the arms race
  22. swing — in golf
  23. press — newspapers
  24. staff — employees

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