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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. court — for sport
  3. press — a publisher
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. cue — for pool
  7. scale — in music
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. cue — a signal
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. kid — child
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — a container
  16. court — of law
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. cue — a hint
  20. court — of a king
  21. press — newspapers
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. press — to push
  24. scale — size or range

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