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

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. can — to be able to
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. cell — a phone
  5. hand — in cards
  6. press — to push
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. can — a tin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. foot — a measure
  11. kick — in football
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. hand — help
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. pop — music
  18. cell — in biology
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. press — newspapers
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. press — a publisher
  23. pop — to visit
  24. can — a tin

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