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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. kick — in football
  3. club — a group
  4. last — final
  5. club — for golf
  6. press — to push
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. last — finally
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. club — for dancing
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. press — newspapers
  16. pass — a permit
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. last — to go on
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. press — a publisher
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. temple — a place of worship

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