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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. tear — from crying
  4. press — to push
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. tear — from crying
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — to handle
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. kid — child
  13. court — of law
  14. press — newspapers
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. court — for sport
  18. kid — to tease
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. press — a publisher
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — a trail
  23. tear — to rip
  24. court — of a king

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