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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's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. deal — to handle
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. press — to push
  6. root — of a plant
  7. bound — certain
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. foot — a measure
  12. press — a publisher
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. press — newspapers
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bound — obliged
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. root — the cause
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. root — of a word
  23. bound — tied together
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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