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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. toast — bread
  3. net — in sport
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wind — moving air
  6. fine — all right
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — to push
  9. wound — an injury
  10. net — after costs
  11. chip — to eat
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — a practice
  14. press — a publisher
  15. wound — an injury
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. fine — high quality
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. wind — moving air
  23. net — for catching
  24. drill — the tool

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