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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. pop — to visit
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. squash — to crush
  7. chip — for betting
  8. pop — soda
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. press — a publisher
  11. dip — to sink
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. stock — goods
  14. wound — an injury
  15. press — to push
  16. chip — to eat
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. press — newspapers
  19. stock — shares
  20. wound — an injury
  21. squash — the sport
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. pop — music
  24. wake — a trail

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