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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. rash — a series
  9. rush — hurry
  10. net — for catching
  11. suit — in cards
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. suit — to fit
  14. squash — to crush
  15. kid — to tease
  16. press — a publisher
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. press — to push
  19. net — after costs
  20. suit — clothes
  21. net — in sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. squash — the sport
  24. press — newspapers

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