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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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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: cabinet · chip · bat · press · saw · shower · arm · ground

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. ground — a position
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. saw — the tool
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. press — to push
  7. chip — for betting
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. press — a publisher
  10. saw — the tool
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bat — the animal
  13. shower — to wash
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. ground — crushed
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. chip — to eat
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. press — newspapers

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