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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. chip — for betting
  3. press — newspapers
  4. rash — a series
  5. mine — for digging
  6. firm — a company
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. rash — hasty
  9. press — to push
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. firm — decided
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. firm — steady
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — not warm
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. press — a publisher

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