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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. clip — to cut
  3. squash — to crush
  4. kid — child
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — a video
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. shower — rain
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. lean — to bend
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. kid — to tease
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — a face
  16. press — newspapers
  17. shower — to wash
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. squash — the sport
  20. press — a publisher
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. press — to push
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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