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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. press — a publisher
  4. capital — money
  5. ball — a dance
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. press — to push
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. ball — a great time
  10. clip — to cut
  11. prune — to trim
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. capital — a city
  16. chip — to eat
  17. press — newspapers
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — for paper
  20. chip — for betting
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wave — of the sea

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