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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. stand — to bear
  4. march — the month
  5. press — newspapers
  6. march — the month
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. hand — in cards
  9. spell — letters
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. press — to push
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. net — for catching
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. hand — help
  16. spell — magic
  17. press — a publisher
  18. spell — a short time
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. ruler — for measuring

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