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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. toast — bread
  5. net — in sport
  6. kick — in football
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. row — to paddle
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. press — to push
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. row — a line
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. press — a publisher
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — for catching
  20. press — newspapers
  21. tear — from crying
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. bark — to shout
  24. tear — from crying

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