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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  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. present — the time now
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. staff — a stick
  5. staff — employees
  6. wound — an injury
  7. press — newspapers
  8. present — a gift
  9. cue — a signal
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. press — a publisher
  15. staff — employees
  16. kid — to tease
  17. present — there
  18. cue — a hint
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. press — to push
  22. vault — a safe
  23. kid — child
  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