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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. chip — for betting
  3. net — in sport
  4. press — newspapers
  5. content — happy
  6. roll — a cake
  7. net — after costs
  8. content — the amount
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. chip — to eat
  12. cue — a hint
  13. net — for catching
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — for pool
  16. pitch — completely
  17. roll — a list
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. press — a publisher
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. calf — a young animal

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