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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. chest — a box
  6. press — a publisher
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. drill — army training
  9. chest — of your body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. chest — of your body
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. squash — the sport
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. press — to push
  17. press — newspapers
  18. squash — to crush
  19. stand — to bear
  20. drill — the tool
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. arm — part of the 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