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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 116 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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  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. press — to push
  2. chip — to eat
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bass — the fish
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cue — a hint
  8. field — a subject
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. field — farmland
  13. press — newspapers
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. field — for sport
  18. bass — low music
  19. cue — for pool
  20. lie — to recline
  21. press — a publisher
  22. chip — for betting
  23. pound — for dogs
  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