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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. craft — a skill
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. press — a publisher
  5. clip — a video
  6. press — to push
  7. chip — to eat
  8. mug — a face
  9. press — newspapers
  10. clip — for paper
  11. drill — army training
  12. mug — a cup
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. drill — a practice
  15. craft — boats
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. clip — to cut
  19. chip — for betting
  20. mug — to rob
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — in an idiom

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