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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pop — soda
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. snap — to click
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. chip — to eat
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — a publisher
  13. pound — a weight
  14. chip — for betting
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. shower — to wash
  17. pop — to visit
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. shower — rain
  20. press — to push
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. lie — to recline
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pop — music

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