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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  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 — child
  2. kid — to tease
  3. drill — army training
  4. press — to push
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. drill — a practice
  7. march — music
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tear — to rip
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. march — the month
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. march — the month
  15. tear — from crying
  16. drill — the tool
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pass — a permit
  19. press — newspapers
  20. tear — from crying
  21. press — a publisher
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. leaves — to go away
  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