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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  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. toast — bread
  2. swing — in golf
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. content — happy
  5. chip — to eat
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. chip — for betting
  8. press — to push
  9. scale — in music
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. swing — to play on
  13. press — a publisher
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. press — newspapers
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. swing — music
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — a stem cell
  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