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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. lie — to recline
  4. net — after costs
  5. dip — to sink
  6. bank — for money
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bank — for money
  9. can — a tin
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bank — of a river
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. kid — child
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. net — for catching
  18. press — a publisher
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. can — a tin
  22. press — to push
  23. net — in sport
  24. kid — to tease

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