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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  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. squash — to crush
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. press — a publisher
  5. mug — to rob
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. mug — a cup
  9. content — the amount
  10. press — to push
  11. chip — for betting
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. roll — a list
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. roll — a cake
  16. squash — the sport
  17. mug — a face
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. cold — not warm
  20. press — newspapers
  21. cold — an illness
  22. content — happy
  23. chip — to eat
  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