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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. club — for golf
  5. kid — child
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cold — an illness
  8. board — a committee
  9. press — newspapers
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. board — to get on
  12. chest — of your body
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. cold — not warm
  15. mug — a cup
  16. chest — a box
  17. press — to push
  18. press — a publisher
  19. mug — a face
  20. club — a group
  21. club — for dancing
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. kid — to tease
  24. chest — of your body

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