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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. suit — clothes
  3. press — to push
  4. court — for sport
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. court — of a king
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. kid — to tease
  10. root — of a word
  11. suit — in cards
  12. court — of law
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. wind — moving air
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. press — newspapers
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. suit — to fit
  20. root — the cause
  21. kid — child
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. press — a publisher
  24. root — of a plant

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