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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. kid — child
  3. saw — the tool
  4. press — newspapers
  5. chip — to eat
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. press — a publisher
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — to tease
  19. wax — to grow
  20. squash — to crush
  21. press — to push
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. chip — for betting
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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