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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. kid — to tease
  3. press — newspapers
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. drill — a practice
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — rain
  9. band — a ring
  10. swing — to play on
  11. drill — army training
  12. press — to push
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. chip — for betting
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. swing — in golf
  19. kid — child
  20. swing — music
  21. drill — the tool
  22. press — a publisher
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a rubber band

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