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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 120 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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. object — to protest
  3. chip — for betting
  4. prune — to trim
  5. press — to push
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. prune — to trim
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. object — an aim
  13. press — a publisher
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — clever
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a document
  18. press — newspapers
  19. object — a thing
  20. chip — to eat
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. file — a line of people
  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