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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. wound — an injury
  4. can — a tin
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. can — a tin
  7. net — for catching
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. wound — an injury
  10. can — to be able to
  11. kid — child
  12. press — newspapers
  13. cold — an illness
  14. press — to push
  15. kid — to tease
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. net — in sport
  18. ball — a dance
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. ball — a great time
  21. press — a publisher
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. net — after costs
  24. ball — a round shape

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