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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. last — finally
  3. craft — boats
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a document
  7. press — newspapers
  8. chip — to eat
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. press — a publisher
  12. last — to go on
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. stand — to bear
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. cold — an illness
  19. last — final
  20. craft — a skill
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. chip — for betting

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