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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. chip — for betting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. mate — a partner
  5. press — to push
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. press — a publisher
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — to breed
  12. press — newspapers
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. toast — bread
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. chip — to eat

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