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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. press — to push
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. press — a publisher
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. fine — all right
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. press — newspapers
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. fine — high quality
  13. perch — the fish
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. deal — to handle
  17. row — a line
  18. cue — a signal
  19. cue — for pool
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. row — to paddle
  22. cue — a hint
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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