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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. march — the month
  3. press — a publisher
  4. swing — music
  5. swing — to play on
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. swing — in golf
  8. stem — to come from
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. press — to push
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. chip — to eat
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. march — the month
  17. roll — a list
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. press — newspapers
  21. roll — a cake
  22. march — music
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. chair — a leader

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