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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. chip — to eat
  3. cap — a lid
  4. chip — for betting
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. shower — to wash
  7. craft — boats
  8. toast — bread
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. cap — of ice
  13. game — a match
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. shower — rain
  16. press — to push
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. craft — a skill
  19. game — wild animals
  20. cap — a hat
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. press — newspapers

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