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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 120 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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  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. mark — a trace
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. game — wild animals
  5. row — to paddle
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. press — to push
  8. press — newspapers
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. key — in music
  11. press — a publisher
  12. dip — to sink
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. key — for a lock
  15. capital — money
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. key — the most important part
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. mark — a grade
  20. row — a line
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — a match
  23. capital — a city
  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