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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: shower · cabinet · chip · mark · craft · drill · content · press

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. press — to push
  3. drill — the tool
  4. content — happy
  5. mark — a grade
  6. drill — army training
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. content — the amount
  9. shower — to wash
  10. mark — a trace
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. shower — rain
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. press — a publisher
  16. craft — a skill
  17. craft — boats
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. press — newspapers
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. drill — a practice
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — in a computer

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