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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. deal — to handle
  3. fork — in a road
  4. kid — child
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. chest — a box
  8. press — newspapers
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. chest — of your body
  11. land — a country
  12. chest — of your body
  13. squash — to crush
  14. land — ground
  15. kid — to tease
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. press — to push
  18. lean — to bend
  19. land — to come down
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. press — a publisher
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. lean — thin

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