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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. press — to push
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. press — newspapers
  6. mate — a partner
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. press — a publisher
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bore — to tire
  11. mate — to breed
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bore — to drill
  14. mate — a friend
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bark — to shout
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. fan — to cool the air

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