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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. spring — the season
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. press — a publisher
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. press — newspapers
  12. mine — for digging
  13. spring — a coil
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. court — of law
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. court — for sport
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. foot — a measure
  21. kick — in football
  22. spring — of water
  23. press — to push
  24. court — of a king

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