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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 116 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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. mate — to breed
  3. spell — a short time
  4. press — to push
  5. chip — for betting
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. press — newspapers
  8. chip — to eat
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — to crush
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. spell — magic
  14. press — a publisher
  15. rock — music
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. squash — the sport
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. mate — a partner
  21. bat — the animal
  22. mate — a friend
  23. spell — letters
  24. chip — in a computer

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