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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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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: hand · bound · mate · suit · mug · kid · press · club

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. mate — a friend
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bound — obliged
  5. club — a group
  6. mate — a partner
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. mug — a face
  9. mug — a cup
  10. hand — in cards
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mate — to breed
  14. bound — tied together
  15. press — a publisher
  16. suit — in cards
  17. kid — child
  18. suit — to fit
  19. kid — to tease
  20. suit — clothes
  21. press — to push
  22. press — newspapers
  23. club — for golf
  24. bound — certain

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