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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. chip — for betting
  3. spell — letters
  4. track — to keep track
  5. season — of the year
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — newspapers
  9. chip — to eat
  10. row — to paddle
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. spell — a short time
  13. press — to push
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. mine — for digging
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. spell — magic
  19. season — in sport
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — a line
  23. track — a path
  24. mine — an explosive

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