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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — child
  3. mate — a friend
  4. field — a subject
  5. kick — in football
  6. march — music
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. mate — to breed
  10. kid — to tease
  11. press — to push
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — newspapers
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. march — the month
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. field — farmland
  18. march — the month
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. content — the amount
  22. mate — a partner
  23. content — happy
  24. field — for sport

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