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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. kid — child
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bore — to tire
  6. cue — a hint
  7. mark — a grade
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. lean — to bend
  11. press — newspapers
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — to tease
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. land — ground
  17. lean — thin
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — to push
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — a country
  22. cue — a signal
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. cue — for pool

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