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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. chip — to eat
  3. press — to push
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. roll — a cake
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. dip — to sink
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. press — newspapers
  11. drill — army training
  12. chip — for betting
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. roll — a list
  18. press — a publisher

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