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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. press — newspapers
  3. row — a line
  4. row — to paddle
  5. press — to push
  6. object — a thing
  7. march — the month
  8. cell — in biology
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. saw — the tool
  11. press — a publisher
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. cell — a phone
  14. object — to protest
  15. mine — for digging
  16. object — an aim
  17. chip — to eat
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. chip — for betting
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. chip — in a computer

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