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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. chip — for betting
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. mug — a cup
  5. pop — music
  6. mug — a face
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — to eat
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. press — to push
  11. mug — to rob
  12. capital — a city
  13. kick — in football
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — the fruit
  18. press — a publisher
  19. pop — to visit
  20. press — newspapers
  21. pop — soda
  22. capital — money
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stand — to bear

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