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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: press · mine · toast · game · firm · cell · kid · saw

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. press — newspapers
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. game — a match
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. toast — bread
  7. saw — the tool
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. firm — decided
  10. saw — the tool
  11. cell — in biology
  12. firm — steady
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — a phone
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — to push
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — wild animals
  19. mine — for digging
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. firm — a company
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. kid — to tease

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