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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 120 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: racket · press · hand · chip · wake · face · staff · squash

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. chip — for betting
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. press — to push
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. chip — to eat
  8. press — newspapers
  9. face — to confront
  10. staff — employees
  11. squash — the sport
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — in cards
  14. squash — to crush
  15. staff — employees
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to point toward
  21. staff — a stick
  22. wake — a trail
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. racket — a loud noise

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