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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: press · sharp · scale · chip · charge · toast · straw · date

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  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. toast — a drink to someone
  2. charge — electricity
  3. press — a publisher
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. charge — in control
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. press — newspapers
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. toast — bread
  11. date — the fruit
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. scale — size or range
  14. chip — for betting
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. charge — a price
  18. press — to push
  19. sharp — clever
  20. scale — in music
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. scale — for weighing
  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