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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pop — to visit
  3. stand — to bear
  4. fine — all right
  5. press — to push
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. pop — soda
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. capital — a city
  10. fine — high quality
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. current — electric
  14. press — newspapers
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. current — of water
  20. current — happening now
  21. capital — money
  22. pop — music
  23. press — a publisher
  24. fall — to drop

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