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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. kid — child
  3. press — to push
  4. mate — to breed
  5. cell — a phone
  6. ground — a position
  7. cell — in biology
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. press — a publisher
  10. ground — the earth
  11. pitch — completely
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. craft — a skill
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. ground — crushed
  18. craft — boats
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. mate — a friend
  22. press — newspapers
  23. kid — to tease
  24. cell — in a prison

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