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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. present — a gift
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. ground — a position
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. press — a publisher
  8. wax — to grow
  9. present — there
  10. press — to push
  11. rule — government
  12. kid — child
  13. craft — a skill
  14. mug — a face
  15. press — newspapers
  16. mug — a cup
  17. ground — crushed
  18. rule — a law
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. present — the time now
  21. ground — the earth
  22. mug — to rob
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. kid — to tease

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