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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bound — obliged
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. bound — certain
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bound — tied together
  10. press — a publisher
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. tear — from crying
  13. press — to push
  14. tear — from crying
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chest — a box
  18. degree — from a university
  19. chair — a leader
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. tear — to rip
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — an amount
  24. chest — of your body

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