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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 116 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. tube — the underground
  4. press — newspapers
  5. press — to push
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. kid — child
  8. press — a publisher
  9. field — a subject
  10. hand — in cards
  11. deal — to handle
  12. ground — a position
  13. field — for sport
  14. ground — crushed
  15. kid — to tease
  16. tube — a container
  17. track — a path
  18. field — farmland
  19. track — to keep track
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. ground — the earth
  22. track — a song
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. hand — part of the body

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