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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. court — of law
  3. court — of a king
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bass — the fish
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. press — to push
  9. present — a gift
  10. press — a publisher
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. roll — a list
  14. kid — child
  15. lean — to bend
  16. roll — a cake
  17. lean — thin
  18. present — the time now
  19. present — there
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bass — low music
  22. court — for sport
  23. kid — to tease
  24. roll — on a roll

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