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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. kick — in football
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. current — electric
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. current — of water
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. current — happening now
  10. stand — to bear
  11. wax — to grow
  12. press — a publisher
  13. spell — magic
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bore — to drill
  16. kid — child
  17. bore — to tire
  18. press — to push
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. press — newspapers
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. spell — a short time

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