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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: bay · kid · spring · chip · toast · arm · object · press

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. object — to protest
  5. toast — bread
  6. object — an aim
  7. press — to push
  8. spring — a coil
  9. press — newspapers
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. object — a thing
  12. press — a publisher
  13. spring — the season
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. spring — of water
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — for betting
  24. bay — a horse colour

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