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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  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. press — to push
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. fall — the season
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pop — to visit
  7. chip — for betting
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. charge — in control
  10. content — happy
  11. charge — a price
  12. charge — electricity
  13. pop — soda
  14. fall — to drop
  15. content — the amount
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. chip — to eat
  20. press — a publisher
  21. pop — music
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. fall — to drop
  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