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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. craft — a skill
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. press — newspapers
  6. staff — a stick
  7. kid — to tease
  8. race — the arms race
  9. staff — employees
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. band — a ring
  13. craft — boats
  14. press — a publisher
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. race — a contest
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. race — humankind
  21. staff — employees
  22. band — a music group
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. kid — child

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