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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. chip — to eat
  3. can — a tin
  4. rock — music
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. can — to be able to
  7. perch — the fish
  8. press — to push
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — an illness
  11. press — newspapers
  12. cold — not warm
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cue — a signal
  19. press — a publisher
  20. chip — for betting
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cue — a hint
  23. can — a tin
  24. perch — for a bird

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