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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 120 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — a gift
  5. press — newspapers
  6. wind — moving air
  7. chip — to eat
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. object — an aim
  10. dip — to sink
  11. present — there
  12. press — to push
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. chip — for betting
  16. object — a thing
  17. press — a publisher
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. drill — army training
  21. mine — for digging
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — the tool

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