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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mine · kid · rule · toast · press · bay

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. toast — bread
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. rule — government
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. rule — a law
  8. press — newspapers
  9. mine — for digging
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. press — to push
  13. kid — to tease
  14. press — a publisher
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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