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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the fish
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. press — to push
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pass — a permit
  21. press — a publisher
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. press — newspapers
  24. kid — child

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