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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. kid — to tease
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. press — a publisher
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. kid — child
  12. can — to be able to
  13. rush — hurry
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — to push
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. game — a match
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mine — for digging

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