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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. press — newspapers
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. ground — the earth
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bat — the animal
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. ground — a position
  16. rash — hasty
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — to push
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. arm — part of the body

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