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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. lean — to bend
  5. chip — for betting
  6. lean — thin
  7. wake — a trail
  8. press — to push
  9. press — a publisher
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. row — to paddle
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. foot — a measure
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. press — newspapers
  22. chip — to eat
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. row — a line

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