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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. court — for sport
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. court — of law
  6. roll — a cake
  7. tube — the underground
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. court — of a king
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. kid — child
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. press — a publisher
  15. tube — a container
  16. kid — to tease
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. roll — a list
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. press — to push
  23. press — newspapers
  24. toast — bread

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