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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. mug — to rob
  3. press — to push
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. press — newspapers
  7. roll — a cake
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. roll — a list
  10. row — a line
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. mug — a face
  16. chip — for betting
  17. press — a publisher
  18. chip — to eat
  19. track — a song
  20. mug — a cup
  21. bat — the animal
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. track — a path

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