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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. squash — the sport
  3. press — newspapers
  4. craft — boats
  5. squash — to crush
  6. spell — letters
  7. bass — low music
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. spell — a short time
  10. chip — to eat
  11. staff — employees
  12. craft — a skill
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. staff — a stick
  15. spell — magic
  16. chip — for betting
  17. bass — the fish
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. staff — employees
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. press — to push
  24. straw — dry grass

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