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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. stand — to bear
  3. firm — decided
  4. rest — a break
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bat — the animal
  7. firm — steady
  8. rest — what's left
  9. press — to push
  10. press — a publisher
  11. game — a match
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. press — newspapers
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. present — there
  17. firm — a company
  18. chip — to eat
  19. present — the time now
  20. present — a gift
  21. rest — what's left
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. game — wild animals

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