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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 120 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. cell — a phone
  3. can — a tin
  4. kid — child
  5. press — newspapers
  6. mug — to rob
  7. kid — to tease
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. field — farmland
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bore — to drill
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. mug — a cup
  15. can — to be able to
  16. cell — in biology
  17. can — a tin
  18. bore — to tire
  19. mug — a face
  20. field — a subject
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. press — to push
  24. field — for sport

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