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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. tear — from crying
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. rash — hasty
  5. press — to push
  6. rash — a series
  7. court — of law
  8. season — of the year
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. press — a publisher
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. court — of a king
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. press — newspapers
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. court — for sport
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. chip — for betting
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. season — in sport
  23. lie — to recline
  24. lie — an untruth

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