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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mark — a grade
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. press — a publisher
  9. kid — child
  10. mine — for digging
  11. press — to push
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. sharp — clever
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — to cut
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. clip — a video
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. kid — to tease
  22. dip — to sink
  23. press — newspapers
  24. mark — a trace

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