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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. press — a publisher
  3. wind — moving air
  4. chip — for betting
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. foot — a measure
  7. bear — the animal
  8. snap — to click
  9. press — to push
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. wind — moving air
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. chip — to eat
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bat — the animal
  17. press — newspapers
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bat — in an idiom

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