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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 124 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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. chip — for betting
  3. lie — to recline
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. squash — the sport
  8. file — a line of people
  9. pop — soda
  10. file — a document
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. pop — to visit
  14. tear — from crying
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. tear — to rip
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. chip — to eat
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — newspapers
  21. pop — music
  22. tear — from crying
  23. file — a tool
  24. squash — to crush

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