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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. track — a path
  4. kid — to tease
  5. wound — an injury
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. capital — money
  9. press — newspapers
  10. plane — a tool
  11. capital — a city
  12. kid — child
  13. press — to push
  14. press — a publisher
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. game — a match
  18. track — to keep track
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. track — a song
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — wild animals

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