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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: mate · toast · staff · mouse · fall · arm · race · press

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. mate — to breed
  4. race — the arms race
  5. mate — a partner
  6. press — a publisher
  7. fall — to drop
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. mate — a friend
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — the season
  12. staff — employees
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. press — newspapers
  15. staff — a stick
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. toast — bread
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — a contest
  22. press — to push
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. staff — employees

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