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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. press — to push
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. rash — hasty
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. present — the time now
  8. rash — a series
  9. press — newspapers
  10. club — for dancing
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. club — a group
  13. kid — to tease
  14. press — a publisher
  15. present — there
  16. band — a music group
  17. row — a line
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. row — to paddle
  21. present — a gift
  22. band — a ring
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. club — for golf

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