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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. pit — a hole
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. cold — not warm
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. band — a ring
  8. press — a publisher
  9. chip — for betting
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. deal — to handle
  15. pit — in a race
  16. capital — a city
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. band — a music group
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. cold — an illness
  21. press — to push
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. capital — money
  24. chip — to eat

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