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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chip — for betting
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. fall — to drop
  7. season — in sport
  8. fall — to drop
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. press — a publisher
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. vault — a safe
  18. press — to push
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. file — a tool
  21. season — of the year
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a line of people
  24. press — newspapers

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