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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 124 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. board — a committee
  3. mate — to breed
  4. sharp — clever
  5. press — to push
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. board — to get on
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. mate — a partner
  11. ball — a dance
  12. press — a publisher
  13. mate — a friend
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. kid — to tease
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — in biology
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. press — newspapers
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. cell — a phone
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a great time

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