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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. cell — in biology
  4. press — newspapers
  5. kid — to tease
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. club — for dancing
  9. cell — a phone
  10. kid — child
  11. kick — in football
  12. club — for golf
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. toast — bread
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. club — a group
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. press — to push
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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