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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — child
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. press — a publisher
  6. plane — a tool
  7. clip — a video
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. pitch — completely
  10. mate — a friend
  11. land — to come down
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. clip — for paper
  15. mate — a partner
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. press — to push
  19. land — a country
  20. press — newspapers
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. land — ground
  23. clip — to cut
  24. plane — in geometry

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