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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. land — to come down
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. press — a publisher
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. degree — from a university
  7. pop — to visit
  8. lean — to bend
  9. land — a country
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. chip — for betting
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. degree — an amount
  17. press — to push
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. pop — soda
  20. pop — music
  21. lean — thin
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. degree — temperature
  24. land — ground

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