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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. hand — help
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. spring — a coil
  7. face — to confront
  8. mark — a trace
  9. lean — to bend
  10. spring — of water
  11. hand — in cards
  12. press — a publisher
  13. lean — thin
  14. face — to point toward
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. spring — the season
  17. press — newspapers
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. mark — a grade
  23. face — part of the head
  24. press — to push

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