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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. can — to be able to
  3. chip — for betting
  4. spell — letters
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. press — a publisher
  8. race — humankind
  9. chip — to eat
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. can — a tin
  12. spell — magic
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. can — a tin
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. race — the arms race
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. spell — a short time
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. race — a contest
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. press — newspapers

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