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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: arm · straw · press · mug · kid · cabinet · racket · mine

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. mug — to rob
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. mug — a cup
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. kid — to tease
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. press — to push
  15. press — newspapers
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. press — a publisher
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. kid — child
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mug — a face
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. cabinet — ministers

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