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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a grade
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pitch — completely
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. rush — hurry
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — to push
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bulb — for light
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. mark — a trace
  18. press — a publisher
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bulb — for light
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. kid — child
  23. tube — a container
  24. wind — to turn a key

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