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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. rash — a series
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. object — an aim
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. squash — to crush
  7. kid — to tease
  8. tube — the underground
  9. press — to push
  10. hand — in cards
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. hand — help
  13. squash — the sport
  14. object — to protest
  15. kid — child
  16. rash — hasty
  17. tube — a container
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. press — newspapers
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. press — a publisher
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. rash — on the skin

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