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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. press — a publisher
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. mate — a friend
  6. ground — crushed
  7. press — to push
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. press — newspapers
  10. mate — a partner
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. race — a contest
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. ground — the earth
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. race — humankind
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. race — the arms race
  19. lean — thin
  20. ground — a position
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. mate — to breed
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bowl — a football final

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