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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. press — to push
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. chair — a leader
  9. dip — to sink
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. press — a publisher
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. mine — for digging
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. lie — to recline
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. press — newspapers
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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