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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. field — for sport
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. field — farmland
  7. sharp — clever
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. press — to push
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. rest — a break
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. swing — in golf
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. court — of law
  17. swing — music
  18. court — of a king
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — a publisher
  21. field — a subject
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. court — for sport
  24. arm — a part of something

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