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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: straw · wind · rule · temple · sharp · chip · racket · press

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rule — government
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. rule — a law
  6. wind — moving air
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. press — newspapers
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. press — a publisher
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. sharp — clever
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. chip — to eat
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. chip — for betting
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. press — to push

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