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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'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. current — happening now
  3. lie — to recline
  4. press — to push
  5. current — electric
  6. file — a line of people
  7. drill — army training
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. current — of water
  13. pop — music
  14. drill — the tool
  15. file — a document
  16. drill — a practice
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. pop — to visit
  19. press — a publisher
  20. file — a tool
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. press — newspapers
  23. pop — soda
  24. arm — part of the body

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