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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. press — a publisher
  3. fine — all right
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. tube — the underground
  6. rock — music
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. kid — child
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. tube — a container
  12. toast — bread
  13. fine — high quality
  14. rock — a stone
  15. kid — to tease
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. season — in sport
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. ball — a great time
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — to push

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