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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. rush — hurry
  5. hand — in cards
  6. mug — a cup
  7. march — the month
  8. ground — the earth
  9. hand — help
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. march — the month
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. mug — a face
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. press — newspapers
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — crushed
  21. march — music
  22. wake — a trail
  23. press — a publisher
  24. press — to push

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