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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  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 — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. spell — magic
  3. key — in music
  4. bear — the animal
  5. kid — to tease
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. key — for a lock
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bear — the animal
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. tear — from crying
  12. key — the most important part
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — letters
  15. press — newspapers
  16. field — for sport
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — a subject
  20. press — to push
  21. tear — to rip
  22. press — a publisher
  23. tear — from crying
  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