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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. cap — a lid
  3. kid — child
  4. press — a publisher
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. net — for catching
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. press — to push
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. press — newspapers
  13. net — after costs
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. hand — in cards
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cap — of ice
  20. stem — to come from
  21. cap — a hat
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. kid — to tease
  24. stem — a stem cell

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