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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: jam · mine · press · march · arm · ruler · ball · scale

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. ball — a dance
  3. scale — size or range
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. ball — a great time
  6. mine — for digging
  7. march — the month
  8. press — a publisher
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. scale — in music
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. press — newspapers
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. press — to push

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