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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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. rock — to move gently
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. rock — a stone
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. tube — the underground
  8. spring — the season
  9. rock — music
  10. tube — a container
  11. row — a line
  12. spring — of water
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. track — a path
  15. row — to paddle
  16. track — a song
  17. press — a publisher
  18. track — to keep track
  19. cap — a hat
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. spring — a coil
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a lid
  24. press — newspapers

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