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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 112 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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. press — newspapers
  4. press — to push
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. cold — not warm
  8. chip — to eat
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. press — a publisher
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. kick — in football
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. chip — for betting
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. chip — in a computer

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