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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. cell — a phone
  4. toast — bread
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. drill — army training
  7. press — to push
  8. board — a committee
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. wax — to grow
  11. press — newspapers
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. hand — in cards
  14. drill — a practice
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. board — to get on
  19. cell — in biology
  20. press — a publisher
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. hand — help
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. drill — the tool

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