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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. game — wild animals
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. press — a publisher
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. kid — to tease
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. press — newspapers
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. spell — letters
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. lie — to recline
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. spell — a short time
  18. kid — child
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. game — a match
  22. spell — magic
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. pitcher — a jug

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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