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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. mate — to breed
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chip — for betting
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. mate — a partner
  10. chip — to eat
  11. press — to push
  12. hand — in cards
  13. mate — a friend
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. rule — a law
  16. press — a publisher
  17. tube — a container
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. hand — help
  20. press — newspapers
  21. rule — government
  22. plane — a tool
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. tube — the underground

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