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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. chip — for betting
  3. net — in sport
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — after costs
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. mate — a partner
  9. chip — to eat
  10. roll — a list
  11. row — a line
  12. bear — the animal
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. press — a publisher
  16. roll — a cake
  17. ball — a great time
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bear — the animal
  20. press — to push
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. press — newspapers
  23. mate — to breed
  24. roll — on a roll

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