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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. rash — hasty
  3. clip — a video
  4. mine — for digging
  5. rush — hurry
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. press — a publisher
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. clip — to cut
  16. press — to push
  17. lean — thin
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. rash — a series
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. clip — for paper
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. rush — a thrill

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