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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. foot — a measure
  4. rest — what's left
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. file — a document
  7. mine — for digging
  8. rest — a break
  9. stand — to bear
  10. snap — to click
  11. press — to push
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. press — a publisher
  16. rest — what's left
  17. file — a line of people
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. file — a tool
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. press — newspapers
  24. racket — for tennis

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