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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. press — a publisher
  4. chip — for betting
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. mug — a face
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. press — to push
  10. vault — a safe
  11. chip — to eat
  12. hand — help
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. wax — to grow
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bat — the animal
  19. press — newspapers
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — to rob

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