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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. chest — of your body
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. press — to push
  5. fine — high quality
  6. press — a publisher
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. squash — the sport
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. fine — all right
  14. craft — a skill
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. chest — a box
  18. tube — the underground
  19. chest — of your body
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. press — newspapers
  23. craft — boats
  24. squash — to crush

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