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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. press — a publisher
  3. root — of a word
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. root — of a plant
  7. chip — for betting
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. clip — a video
  12. chest — a box
  13. clip — to cut
  14. press — to push
  15. chip — to eat
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. clip — for paper
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. root — the cause
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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