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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. suit — to fit
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. spring — a coil
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pit — a hole
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. suit — clothes
  11. press — a publisher
  12. suit — in cards
  13. pit — in a race
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. chair — a leader
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. press — newspapers
  18. fall — to drop
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. fall — the season
  21. spring — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. spring — of water

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