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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: press · chair · mouse · spring · chip · rock · fall · sharp

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. sharp — clever
  5. rock — music
  6. press — newspapers
  7. spring — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — a leader
  13. press — to push
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. rock — a stone
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. press — a publisher
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — of water
  24. sharp — exactly

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