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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  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. toast — the most admired
  3. field — a subject
  4. net — after costs
  5. root — the cause
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. bore — to drill
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. root — of a word
  12. field — farmland
  13. press — to push
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. press — a publisher
  16. root — of a plant
  17. toast — bread
  18. net — for catching
  19. press — newspapers
  20. net — in sport
  21. field — for sport
  22. kid — child
  23. bore — to tire
  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