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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. mark — a trace
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. lean — to bend
  7. net — after costs
  8. can — to be able to
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. net — for catching
  13. lean — thin
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. mark — a grade
  17. dip — to sink
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. press — a publisher
  21. net — in sport
  22. press — to push
  23. can — a tin
  24. press — newspapers

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