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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 124 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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. kid — to tease
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — to push
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. spring — the season
  9. bass — the fish
  10. pound — a weight
  11. craft — a skill
  12. bass — low music
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. roll — a list
  16. press — newspapers
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — of water
  20. craft — boats
  21. kid — child
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. craft — a handicraft

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