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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: stem · toast · bat · lie · press · bay · bear · kid

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bear — the animal
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. stem — to come from
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. lie — to recline
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — a publisher
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. press — to push
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. toast — bread
  24. bear — the animal

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