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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. squash — the sport
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. press — newspapers
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. scale — size or range
  8. hand — in cards
  9. drill — the tool
  10. hand — help
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — to crush
  13. wound — an injury
  14. drill — army training
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bass — the fish
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. press — to push
  20. scale — in music
  21. bass — low music
  22. drill — a practice
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. press — a publisher

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