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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: wound · hand · chip · press · rule · roll · bowl · cell

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. roll — a list
  3. wound — an injury
  4. press — to push
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. cell — in biology
  7. rule — government
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. chip — to eat
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. rule — a law
  14. hand — help
  15. press — a publisher
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. hand — in cards
  19. press — newspapers
  20. wound — an injury
  21. chip — for betting
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. roll — a cake

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