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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 120 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. chip — for betting
  3. press — a publisher
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rush — hurry
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. press — to push
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. press — newspapers
  11. perch — the fish
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. cell — a phone
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. chip — to eat
  18. cell — in biology
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. pound — a weight
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. cell — in a prison

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