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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. face — to point toward
  4. spell — a short time
  5. press — to push
  6. kid — child
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. press — a publisher
  11. kick — in football
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. press — newspapers
  14. face — to confront
  15. band — a ring
  16. kid — to tease
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. spell — letters
  19. face — part of the head
  20. vault — a safe
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. band — a music group
  23. spell — magic
  24. pitcher — a jug

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