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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. band — a music group
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cue — a signal
  5. kid — to tease
  6. last — to go on
  7. tear — from crying
  8. last — finally
  9. scale — in music
  10. pit — a hole
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. press — to push
  14. press — a publisher
  15. band — a ring
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. cue — for pool
  18. last — final
  19. pit — in a race
  20. kid — child
  21. press — newspapers
  22. scale — size or range
  23. cue — a hint
  24. tear — to rip

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