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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. staff — a stick
  4. kid — child
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. court — for sport
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. court — of a king
  12. stand — to bear
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. staff — employees
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. kid — to tease
  18. press — newspapers
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. court — of law
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. press — a publisher
  24. staff — employees

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