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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. press — a publisher
  3. suit — to fit
  4. last — to go on
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. kid — to tease
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. band — a ring
  10. pit — in a race
  11. press — newspapers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. suit — in cards
  14. pit — a hole
  15. last — finally
  16. last — final
  17. suit — clothes
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. press — to push
  24. band — a music group

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