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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. press — newspapers
  5. press — a publisher
  6. bore — to tire
  7. club — for golf
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. key — in music
  10. chip — to eat
  11. rash — hasty
  12. scale — in music
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. scale — size or range
  16. rash — a series
  17. club — a group
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — for a lock
  20. chip — for betting
  21. bat — the animal
  22. club — for dancing
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bore — gave birth

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