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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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468
Word bank
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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. can — to be able to
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. press — newspapers
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. press — to push
  8. can — a tin
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — for digging
  11. stand — to bear
  12. can — a tin
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — a leader
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. game — wild animals
  21. chip — for betting
  22. press — a publisher
  23. chip — to eat
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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