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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. press — to push
  3. ball — a great time
  4. tear — from crying
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. press — newspapers
  8. craft — boats
  9. press — a publisher
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. tear — from crying
  13. kid — to tease
  14. lean — to bend
  15. ball — a dance
  16. lean — thin
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. craft — a skill
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chair — a leader
  23. tear — to rip
  24. hide — to keep secret

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