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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. squash — to crush
  4. cue — a hint
  5. field — for sport
  6. press — newspapers
  7. row — a line
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cue — for pool
  10. press — a publisher
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. row — to paddle
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. wax — to grow
  15. cue — a signal
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. field — a subject
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. press — to push
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. field — farmland
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. squash — the sport

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