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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: rash · wake · press · chip · cell · toast · sharp · rush

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. press — a publisher
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. press — newspapers
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. cell — a phone
  9. toast — bread
  10. wake — a trail
  11. rash — a series
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. rash — hasty
  15. press — to push
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. rush — hurry
  18. chip — for betting
  19. cell — in biology
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. sharp — clever
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. chip — to eat

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