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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bound — obliged
  3. press — newspapers
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. file — a tool
  6. press — to push
  7. bound — certain
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. kid — child
  11. file — a line of people
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bound — tied together
  14. tear — to rip
  15. file — a document
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. tear — from crying
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. kid — to tease
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. press — a publisher
  24. pitcher — a jug

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