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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: spell · snap · safe · fall · pound · straw · chip · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — magic
  4. press — newspapers
  5. spell — letters
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. press — to push
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. fall — to drop
  10. chip — for betting
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. snap — to click
  14. fall — to drop
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. fall — the season
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. chip — to eat
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. pound — a weight
  24. safe — a strongbox

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