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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. mate — a partner
  4. press — to push
  5. pass — a permit
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — child
  8. tear — to rip
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. press — newspapers
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. press — a publisher
  17. rash — hasty
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. mate — to breed
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. rash — a series
  22. tear — from crying
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. tear — from crying

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