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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. The water is too ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. cold — not warm
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. press — newspapers
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. press — to push
  8. press — a publisher
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chip — to eat
  14. season — of the year
  15. cold — an illness
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — to tease
  19. foot — a measure
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. chip — for betting
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. chair — to sit on

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