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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 120 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 sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. club — a group
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — to push
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. club — for golf
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. clip — a video
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. club — for dancing
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. clip — to cut
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. clip — for paper
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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