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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've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. kid — to tease
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. mug — to rob
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. can — a tin
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. hand — in cards
  13. press — a publisher
  14. kid — child
  15. hand — help
  16. bat — the animal
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. press — to push
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. mug — a face
  21. can — to be able to
  22. mug — a cup
  23. can — a tin
  24. press — newspapers

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