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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. press — to push
  3. row — a line
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. foot — a measure
  6. track — a path
  7. track — to keep track
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. press — a publisher
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. staff — employees
  12. chip — for betting
  13. can — a tin
  14. staff — a stick
  15. row — to paddle
  16. track — a song
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. can — a tin
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. staff — employees
  22. press — newspapers
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. can — to be able to

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