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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. suit — to fit
  3. chip — for betting
  4. chip — to eat
  5. capital — money
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. season — of the year
  8. rash — a series
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. season — in sport
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rash — hasty
  13. press — to push
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. suit — in cards
  20. press — newspapers
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. capital — a city
  23. press — a publisher
  24. bat — the animal

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