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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. clip — to cut
  4. press — newspapers
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. chip — to eat
  7. clip — for paper
  8. ball — a great time
  9. band — a ring
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. clip — a video
  12. press — a publisher
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. band — a music group
  20. chip — for betting
  21. ball — a dance
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a line
  24. band — a rubber band

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