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

Word bank: pop · pound · press · hide · mark · cell · arm · kid

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mark — a grade
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. mark — a trace
  5. cell — in biology
  6. press — a publisher
  7. cell — a phone
  8. pop — soda
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. kid — to tease
  11. pop — music
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. press — to push
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. kid — child
  21. press — newspapers
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. pound — a weight

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