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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. clip — a video
  4. press — to push
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. press — a publisher
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. staff — employees
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. press — newspapers
  12. clip — for paper
  13. staff — a stick
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. tube — a container
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bowl — to roll

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