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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 laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. charge — electricity
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. press — a publisher
  6. charge — in control
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. charge — a price
  10. game — wild animals
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. chest — a box
  17. press — to push
  18. press — newspapers
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. game — a match
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. prune — to trim
  23. chest — of your body
  24. arm — a part of something

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