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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. present — there
  3. club — a group
  4. cap — a hat
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. club — for dancing
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — to push
  9. season — of the year
  10. present — a gift
  11. fall — the season
  12. content — the amount
  13. club — for golf
  14. cap — of ice
  15. fall — to drop
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. content — happy
  18. fall — to drop
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. press — a publisher
  23. cap — a lid
  24. present — the time now

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