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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: saw · snap · wind · kid · press · plane · rule · racket

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. wind — moving air
  6. snap — to click
  7. kid — to tease
  8. press — a publisher
  9. kid — child
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rule — government
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. press — newspapers
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. plane — a tool
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. wind — moving air
  22. press — to push
  23. rule — a law
  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