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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. press — a publisher
  6. lean — to bend
  7. shower — to wash
  8. fine — high quality
  9. board — a committee
  10. press — newspapers
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. fine — all right
  13. chip — to eat
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bear — the animal
  16. board — to get on
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. chip — for betting
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bear — the animal
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. shower — rain
  24. lean — thin

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