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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. last — final
  3. last — finally
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. chip — to eat
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. present — there
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. press — newspapers
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. last — to go on
  16. kick — in football
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. present — a gift
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. press — to push
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. press — a publisher
  24. present — the time now

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