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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 works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. press — a publisher
  3. race — humankind
  4. firm — steady
  5. press — to push
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. bat — the animal
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. rock — a stone
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rock — music
  13. race — the arms race
  14. firm — decided
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. plane — a tool
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. press — newspapers
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. race — a contest
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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