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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. fall — the season
  6. root — the cause
  7. press — newspapers
  8. row — a line
  9. fall — to drop
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. press — a publisher
  13. fall — to drop
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. march — music
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. rest — what's left
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. row — to paddle
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — of a plant
  24. press — to push

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