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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. press — to push
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. cold — an illness
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — for money
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. pop — soda
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. press — a publisher
  14. pass — a permit
  15. cold — not warm
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bank — of a river
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pop — music
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. press — newspapers
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. jam — in traffic

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