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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bear — the animal
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. press — a publisher
  7. club — for golf
  8. sharp — clever
  9. club — a group
  10. spring — a coil
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. club — for dancing
  13. chip — for betting
  14. rush — hurry
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. scale — in music
  19. press — to push
  20. spring — of water
  21. press — newspapers
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. spring — the season
  24. sharp — with an edge

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