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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 120 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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  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. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. press — newspapers
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. cap — a hat
  5. press — a publisher
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. press — to push
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. can — a tin
  11. kid — child
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. cap — of ice
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. can — to be able to
  18. wound — an injury
  19. stem — to come from
  20. can — a tin
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. hand — help
  23. cap — a lid
  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