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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 116 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: can · perch · board · tear · cue · chip · bat · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. chip — for betting
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. cue — for pool
  6. chip — to eat
  7. tear — from crying
  8. perch — the fish
  9. board — to get on
  10. can — to be able to
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. can — a tin
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. cue — a hint
  17. board — a committee
  18. press — to push
  19. can — a tin
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. cue — a signal
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. press — newspapers
  24. board — a flat piece

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