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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. press — to push
  4. squash — to crush
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — the amount
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. chip — to eat
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. squash — the sport
  12. pop — soda
  13. deal — to handle
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. press — a publisher
  16. bat — the animal
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a match
  19. chip — for betting
  20. content — happy
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. pop — to visit
  24. press — newspapers

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