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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · chip · date · press · deal · cap

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. 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. deal — to handle
  2. chip — for betting
  3. press — a publisher
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cap — of ice
  6. press — to push
  7. press — newspapers
  8. chest — of your body
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. cap — a lid
  11. date — the fruit
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cap — a hat
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. chest — a box
  18. 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