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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. mine — for digging
  4. kid — child
  5. chip — to eat
  6. present — the time now
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. press — to push
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. present — there
  12. mug — to rob
  13. chip — for betting
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. mug — a cup
  18. press — newspapers
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. kid — to tease
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. present — a gift
  24. mug — a face

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