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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: foot · chair · fork · tear · chip · pop · press · rule

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. tear — from crying
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. fork — in a road
  5. press — to push
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. foot — a measure
  9. rule — a law
  10. press — newspapers
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. chip — for betting
  15. pop — soda
  16. press — a publisher
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pop — to visit
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. chip — to eat
  22. rule — government
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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