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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 120 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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. last — finally
  3. bound — certain
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. press — a publisher
  7. root — of a plant
  8. chest — a box
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. press — newspapers
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bound — tied together
  16. root — of a word
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bound — obliged
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. root — the cause
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — final
  23. press — to push
  24. chest — of your body

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