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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. chip — to eat
  4. press — a publisher
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. mug — to rob
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mug — a cup
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mug — a face
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — happy
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. press — newspapers
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. stock — goods
  24. content — videos and posts

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