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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'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bat — the animal
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. press — newspapers
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. spell — magic
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — thin
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. spell — letters
  12. press — to push
  13. spell — a short time
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mine — for digging
  19. date — the fruit
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. key — the most important part
  23. key — in music
  24. key — for a lock

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