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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. clip — to cut
  3. tube — the underground
  4. clip — a video
  5. content — the amount
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. clip — for paper
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — a gift
  10. press — newspapers
  11. kid — child
  12. pound — a weight
  13. content — happy
  14. fall — to drop
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. fall — the season
  17. press — a publisher
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. press — to push
  20. present — there
  21. fall — to drop
  22. kid — to tease
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — a container

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