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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: stick · cabinet · arm · bay · hand · press · land · march

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. hand — in cards
  3. land — to come down
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. press — newspapers
  6. march — the month
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. march — the month
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. press — a publisher
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. land — a country
  16. hand — help
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. march — music
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. land — ground
  23. press — to push
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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