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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. press — a publisher
  3. wake — a trail
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — not warm
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. bat — the animal
  8. hand — in cards
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. hand — help
  12. press — newspapers
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. press — to push

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