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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. press — a publisher
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. chair — a leader
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. race — the arms race
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bark — to shout
  14. squash — to crush
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. race — a contest
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. press — to push
  20. race — humankind
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. kid — child

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