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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. chip — for betting
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pit — in a race
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. press — a publisher
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — happy
  10. chip — to eat
  11. hand — in cards
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. game — a match
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bulb — for light
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. game — wild animals
  20. press — newspapers
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. press — to push
  24. bulb — for light

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