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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 124 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. roll — a list
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. chip — for betting
  5. wound — an injury
  6. press — newspapers
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. file — a document
  9. current — of water
  10. file — a line of people
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. current — electric
  13. current — happening now
  14. chip — to eat
  15. hand — in cards
  16. wound — an injury
  17. press — to push
  18. hand — help
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. roll — a cake
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. file — a tool
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hand — part of the body

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