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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. press — a publisher
  3. court — for sport
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. press — to push
  8. court — of a king
  9. kid — child
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. court — of law
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. tube — the underground
  17. press — newspapers
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — the earth
  20. kid — to tease
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. tube — a container
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. ground — a position

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