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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. press — to push
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. chip — for betting
  5. press — a publisher
  6. chip — to eat
  7. press — newspapers
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. club — for dancing
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. club — for golf
  14. tear — from crying
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. squash — the sport
  17. tear — from crying
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. bat — the animal
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. club — a group
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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