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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. press — a publisher
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. press — newspapers
  10. saw — the tool
  11. game — a match
  12. kid — to tease
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. snap — to click
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. press — to push
  20. game — wild animals
  21. toast — bread
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — the underground
  24. game — a kind of play

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