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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. squash — to crush
  3. rock — a stone
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. scale — in music
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. chip — to eat
  10. date — the fruit
  11. press — to push
  12. squash — the sport
  13. ball — a great time
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. press — a publisher
  16. chip — for betting
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a dance
  20. scale — size or range
  21. press — newspapers
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. chip — in a computer

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