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

Word bank: foot · fork · kid · cell · press · arm · mouse · shower

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. press — to push
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. cell — a phone
  7. shower — to wash
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. press — a publisher
  10. fork — in a road
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. kid — child
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. press — newspapers
  17. shower — rain
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. cell — in biology
  20. foot — a measure
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. kid — to tease

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