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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. file — a line of people
  5. cell — in biology
  6. file — a document
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. rash — hasty
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. toast — bread
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — thin
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. press — a publisher
  18. date — the fruit
  19. cell — a phone
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. file — a tool
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. press — newspapers
  24. rash — a series

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