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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: clip · wound · foot · kid · rush · press · chair · roll

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. roll — a cake
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. clip — for paper
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. press — newspapers
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. clip — a video
  12. press — to push
  13. kid — to tease
  14. foot — a measure
  15. chair — a leader
  16. wound — an injury
  17. rush — hurry
  18. press — a publisher
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. kid — child
  22. roll — a list
  23. clip — to cut
  24. foot — part of the body

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