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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 116 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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. drill — the tool
  3. press — a publisher
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. drill — army training
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. net — for catching
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. clip — to cut
  14. press — to push
  15. clip — a video
  16. craft — boats
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — after costs
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. kid — to tease
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. craft — a skill
  24. clip — for paper

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