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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. press — a publisher
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. press — to push
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. tube — the underground
  10. firm — a company
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — to be able to
  14. firm — steady
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — child
  20. tube — a container
  21. can — a tin
  22. press — newspapers
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. firm — decided

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