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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. roll — a list
  3. roll — a cake
  4. chip — to eat
  5. press — a publisher
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. scale — in music
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. press — newspapers
  11. can — a tin
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. scale — size or range
  14. chip — for betting
  15. press — to push
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. lie — to recline
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. can — to be able to
  24. chair — a leader

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