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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. press — newspapers
  3. press — to push
  4. stand — to bear
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. spell — magic
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. kid — child
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. chest — of your body
  15. press — a publisher
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. chest — a box
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. chest — of your body
  20. spell — a short time
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. spell — letters
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pass — a permit

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