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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 120 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 a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. foot — a measure
  4. hand — help
  5. press — to push
  6. press — a publisher
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. capital — a city
  10. chip — to eat
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. hand — in cards
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. press — newspapers
  19. chip — for betting
  20. ball — a dance
  21. capital — money
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a great time
  24. pitch — completely

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