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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. lie — to recline
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. row — a line
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. press — a publisher
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. file — a line of people
  15. mark — a trace
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a tool
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — to push
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. mark — a grade
  24. lie — an untruth

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