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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: band · chip · press · fork · arm · leaves · sharp · rest

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. rest — a break
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. press — a publisher
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. band — a ring
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. rest — what's left
  11. fork — in a road
  12. press — newspapers
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. press — to push
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. band — a music group
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. chip — to eat
  21. rest — what's left
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. chip — for betting
  24. leaves — of a tree

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