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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. kid — to tease
  3. press — newspapers
  4. kid — child
  5. press — a publisher
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. hand — help
  8. mate — a partner
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — an amount
  11. hand — in cards
  12. dip — to sink
  13. mate — a friend
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. press — to push
  16. degree — temperature
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — a skill
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. craft — boats

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