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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. rest — a break
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. rest — what's left
  8. capital — a city
  9. squash — to crush
  10. chip — for betting
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — newspapers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. scale — in music
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. capital — money
  20. chip — to eat
  21. scale — size or range
  22. press — to push
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rest — what's left

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