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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: chip · press · spell · hand · can · wind · firm · rest

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  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. press — a publisher
  2. firm — steady
  3. can — to be able to
  4. chip — for betting
  5. spell — letters
  6. firm — a company
  7. press — to push
  8. rest — a break
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. rest — what's left
  11. hand — help
  12. chip — to eat
  13. wind — moving air
  14. hand — in cards
  15. rest — what's left
  16. firm — decided
  17. can — a tin
  18. spell — a short time
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. can — a tin
  21. wind — moving air
  22. press — newspapers
  23. spell — magic
  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