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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. mug — a face
  4. bulb — for light
  5. press — newspapers
  6. date — the fruit
  7. snap — to click
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. mug — a cup
  13. press — to push
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. mug — to rob
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bulb — for light
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. press — a publisher
  24. arm — a part of something

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