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

Word bank: press · kid · coach · file · craft · stick

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. craft — boats
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. press — a publisher
  5. file — a line of people
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. press — to push
  8. kid — child
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. craft — a skill
  14. file — a document
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. press — newspapers
  17. file — a tool
  18. coach — a trainer

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