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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 got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. press — to push
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mine — for digging
  6. press — a publisher
  7. sharp — clever
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. chip — for betting
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. march — the month
  12. mark — a trace
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — in cards
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. chip — to eat
  20. press — newspapers
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. mark — to pay attention

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