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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. chip — to eat
  3. scale — size or range
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. row — a line
  6. lean — thin
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. chip — for betting
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. tube — the underground
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. fine — high quality
  14. row — to paddle
  15. scale — in music
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. lean — to bend
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — to push
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. fine — all right
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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