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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — a publisher
  3. club — a group
  4. pop — soda
  5. chip — to eat
  6. court — of a king
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. club — for dancing
  10. court — of law
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pop — music
  16. chest — of your body
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. club — for golf
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chest — a box
  21. press — newspapers
  22. court — for sport
  23. deal — to handle
  24. chest — of your body

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