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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. bear — the animal
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. press — newspapers
  5. net — for catching
  6. spring — of water
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — the season
  11. bear — the animal
  12. saw — the tool
  13. net — in sport
  14. press — to push
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. press — a publisher
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. saw — the tool
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. net — after costs
  24. chair — a leader

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