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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. pop — music
  3. present — a gift
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. foot — a measure
  6. press — a publisher
  7. spring — of water
  8. press — newspapers
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. present — the time now
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. rash — hasty
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. rash — a series
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — soda
  18. plane — a tool
  19. spring — the season
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. press — to push
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. present — there

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