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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. squash — the sport
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. content — happy
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. content — the amount
  9. game — wild animals
  10. court — of law
  11. game — a match
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. press — to push
  14. press — newspapers
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of a king
  20. bass — the fish
  21. press — a publisher
  22. bass — low music
  23. squash — to crush
  24. hide — to keep secret

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