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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. last — final
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. march — music
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. last — finally
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. march — the month
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. march — the month
  13. press — a publisher
  14. last — to go on
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. press — newspapers
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. press — to push
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. arm — part of the body

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