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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: tear · bowl · net · club · squash · press · arm · content

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. press — to push
  3. club — a group
  4. press — a publisher
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. club — for dancing
  7. press — newspapers
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. net — in sport
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. tear — from crying
  12. content — the amount
  13. content — happy
  14. tear — to rip
  15. squash — to crush
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. squash — the sport
  18. net — for catching
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. net — after costs
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. club — for golf

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