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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. chip — to eat
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. press — newspapers
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. rock — a stone
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. tube — a container
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. sharp — clever
  16. chip — for betting
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. press — to push
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. rock — music
  23. tube — the underground
  24. deal — to handle

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