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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. staff — employees
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. staff — a stick
  6. press — newspapers
  7. staff — employees
  8. kid — to tease
  9. swing — music
  10. rush — hurry
  11. press — a publisher
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. swing — in golf
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. press — to push
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. kid — child
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. swing — to play on
  24. rash — a series

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