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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. pit — a hole
  3. chip — for betting
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. scale — size or range
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. rash — a series
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. scale — in music
  14. press — a publisher
  15. pit — in a race
  16. rash — hasty
  17. press — to push
  18. press — newspapers
  19. squash — to crush
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. chip — to eat
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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