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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. press — to push
  4. chip — for betting
  5. tube — the underground
  6. row — a line
  7. tube — a container
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. press — a publisher
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. press — newspapers
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. lean — thin
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. rest — what's left
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. stock — goods
  23. row — to paddle
  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