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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. ground — a position
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. swing — in golf
  5. press — to push
  6. swing — to play on
  7. ground — crushed
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. face — to confront
  10. bear — the animal
  11. press — a publisher
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. toast — bread
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. ground — the earth
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. wax — to grow
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — part of the head
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. press — newspapers
  24. toast — the most admired

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