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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. firm — a company
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. press — newspapers
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. press — a publisher
  10. tube — the underground
  11. content — happy
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — the amount
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. board — to get on
  21. firm — steady
  22. firm — decided
  23. press — to push
  24. tube — a container

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