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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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Word bank
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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 · snap · board · press · fine · straw · saw

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. fine — high quality
  5. mine — for digging
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. press — newspapers
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. snap — to click
  15. press — a publisher
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. board — a committee
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. fine — all right
  20. saw — the tool
  21. board — to get on
  22. press — to push
  23. kid — child
  24. saw — the tool

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