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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chip — to eat
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. vault — a safe
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. ground — the earth
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. press — newspapers
  14. cell — a phone
  15. press — to push
  16. snap — to click
  17. row — a line
  18. press — a publisher
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. ground — crushed
  21. row — to paddle
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. cell — in biology

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