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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 116 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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. squash — the sport
  3. chip — for betting
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — of the year
  8. squash — to crush
  9. press — newspapers
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. chip — to eat
  13. stand — to bear
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. cold — not warm
  20. press — to push
  21. press — a publisher
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cold — an illness

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