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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 120 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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. sharp — clever
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. can — a tin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. scale — in music
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. can — a tin
  10. press — a publisher
  11. chip — for betting
  12. press — to push
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. scale — size or range
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. pitch — completely
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — to eat
  21. rash — a series
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. wound — an injury
  24. can — to be able 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