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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. press — to push
  3. kid — child
  4. mate — a partner
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. mate — a friend
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — help
  11. mate — to breed
  12. press — a publisher
  13. staff — a stick
  14. press — newspapers
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. squash — the sport
  17. dip — to sink
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. kid — to tease
  20. fork — in a road
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. squash — to crush
  24. fork — to eat with

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