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

Word bank: press · stick · rash · mouse · temple · racket · chip · cap

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. press — to push
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. rash — hasty
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. press — newspapers
  14. cap — a hat
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. chip — for betting
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. cap — of ice
  19. rash — a series
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. chip — to eat
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. cap — a lid
  24. mouse — for 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