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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — child
  3. wind — moving air
  4. press — a publisher
  5. swing — to play on
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. swing — in golf
  10. deal — to handle
  11. chip — to eat
  12. press — to push
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. swing — music
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. kid — to tease
  21. press — newspapers
  22. chip — for betting
  23. wind — moving air
  24. chip — in a computer

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