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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 116 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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. chip — for betting
  3. drill — the tool
  4. degree — from a university
  5. drill — a practice
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cue — a hint
  8. press — a publisher
  9. degree — temperature
  10. press — newspapers
  11. lean — thin
  12. cue — a signal
  13. object — a thing
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — hurry
  16. chip — to eat
  17. object — to protest
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. lean — to bend
  20. degree — an amount
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. object — an aim
  24. drill — army training

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