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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. press — to push
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. lie — to recline
  7. fork — in a road
  8. spring — of water
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. last — finally
  11. degree — an amount
  12. spring — the season
  13. press — a publisher
  14. last — final
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. degree — from a university
  17. last — to go on
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. press — newspapers
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. spring — a coil
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. degree — temperature
  24. fork — to eat with

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