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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 120 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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. suit — in cards
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. bat — the animal
  7. tube — a container
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. press — a publisher
  10. kid — to tease
  11. rest — a break
  12. kid — child
  13. suit — to fit
  14. tube — the underground
  15. rest — what's left
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. press — newspapers
  18. suit — clothes
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pound — a weight
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. press — to push
  24. leaves — of a tree

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