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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. press — newspapers
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. wound — an injury
  6. press — to push
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cell — a phone
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. craft — boats
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. club — for dancing
  14. craft — a skill
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. press — a publisher
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. club — for golf
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. cell — in biology

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