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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: press · arm · toast · cell · present · fine

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. cell — a phone
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. present — there
  6. fine — high quality
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. toast — bread
  10. cell — in biology
  11. present — the time now
  12. press — newspapers
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. press — to push
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. press — a publisher
  17. present — a gift
  18. fine — all right

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