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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. press — newspapers
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. chip — for betting
  5. can — a tin
  6. pop — to visit
  7. press — to push
  8. pit — a hole
  9. shower — to wash
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. can — a tin
  12. chip — to eat
  13. pop — soda
  14. wake — a trail
  15. pit — in a race
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. press — a publisher
  19. can — to be able to
  20. pop — music
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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