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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — child
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pit — in a race
  6. press — to push
  7. perch — the fish
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chip — for betting
  10. rule — a law
  11. stand — to bear
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rule — government
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — newspapers
  18. chip — to eat
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pit — a hole
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. stand — for spectators

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