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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. present — a gift
  3. band — a ring
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. present — the time now
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. band — a music group
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. press — a publisher
  10. staff — employees
  11. kid — to tease
  12. press — to push
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. staff — employees
  16. press — newspapers
  17. court — of a king
  18. present — there
  19. court — for sport
  20. staff — a stick
  21. kid — child
  22. court — of law
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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