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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. press — to push
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. swing — in golf
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. chip — to eat
  10. press — newspapers
  11. wind — moving air
  12. lean — to bend
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. swing — to play on
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to click
  19. swing — music
  20. wax — to grow
  21. chip — for betting
  22. press — a publisher
  23. wind — moving air
  24. lean — thin

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