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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. firm — decided
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. rest — what's left
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. net — after costs
  8. rest — what's left
  9. squash — to crush
  10. press — to push
  11. squash — the sport
  12. net — for catching
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. net — in sport
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. firm — steady
  17. press — a publisher
  18. rest — a break
  19. firm — a company
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. press — newspapers
  24. pass — a permit

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