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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. press — to push
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rock — a stone
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. mate — a partner
  12. rock — music
  13. chest — a box
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. chest — of your body
  16. press — a publisher
  17. plane — a tool
  18. game — wild animals
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. press — newspapers
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. game — a match
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. mate — a friend

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