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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: tube · kid · press · game · dip · mark · straw · rest

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. kid — to tease
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. mark — a trace
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. mark — a grade
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. rest — what's left
  12. dip — to sink
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. rest — a break
  15. tube — a container
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. game — a match
  19. press — newspapers
  20. kid — child
  21. tube — the underground
  22. press — to push
  23. game — wild animals
  24. rest — what's left

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