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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. rest — what's left
  3. press — a publisher
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. rest — a break
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. rest — what's left
  10. charge — electricity
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. spring — the season
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. spring — a coil
  15. chip — for betting
  16. cold — an illness
  17. press — newspapers
  18. charge — in control
  19. charge — a price
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. press — to push
  23. chip — to eat
  24. cold — not warm

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