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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — a publisher
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. press — to push
  12. rash — hasty
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. rash — a series
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mine — an explosive

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