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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. press — a publisher
  5. spring — of water
  6. wake — a trail
  7. chip — to eat
  8. press — to push
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. present — a gift
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. rock — a stone
  14. chip — for betting
  15. spring — a coil
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. present — the time now
  19. spring — the season
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. rock — music
  22. present — there
  23. press — newspapers
  24. scale — size or range

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