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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's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. capital — a city
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. foot — a measure
  6. mark — a grade
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. roll — a cake
  13. roll — a list
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. press — newspapers
  18. mark — a trace
  19. press — to push
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. capital — money
  24. press — a publisher

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