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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pit — in a race
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. face — part of the head
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. face — to confront
  13. press — a publisher
  14. can — a tin
  15. pit — a hole
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. press — newspapers
  18. can — a tin
  19. row — to paddle
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. face — to point toward
  22. can — to be able to
  23. press — to push
  24. row — a line

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