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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. drill — army training
  3. game — a match
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. rest — what's left
  9. drill — a practice
  10. game — wild animals
  11. press — a publisher
  12. club — a group
  13. rest — a break
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. deal — to handle
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. press — newspapers
  18. rest — what's left
  19. drill — the tool
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. club — for golf
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. club — for dancing

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