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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. pitch — completely
  5. chip — to eat
  6. face — to point toward
  7. kid — to tease
  8. wound — an injury
  9. kid — child
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. lean — thin
  12. chip — for betting
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. face — part of the head
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. face — to confront
  17. wax — to grow
  18. lean — to bend
  19. press — to push
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. press — a publisher
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pitch — a sports field

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