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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. press — to push
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. game — a match
  5. chip — to eat
  6. scale — in music
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. current — of water
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. bulb — for light
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bulb — for light
  15. chip — for betting
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. press — newspapers
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. current — electric
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. current — happening now
  23. press — a publisher
  24. scale — size or range

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