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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of law
  5. bound — obliged
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. bound — tied together
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. bound — certain
  14. court — of a king
  15. press — newspapers
  16. date — the fruit
  17. root — the cause
  18. press — to push
  19. press — a publisher
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — of a plant
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. date — on the calendar

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