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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 116 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: wind · fall · wave · bat · key · press · fork · chip

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. press — a publisher
  3. press — newspapers
  4. key — in music
  5. press — to push
  6. chip — to eat
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bat — the animal
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. fall — the season
  15. key — for a lock
  16. fork — in a road
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. chip — for betting
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. fall — to drop
  21. key — the most important part
  22. wind — moving air
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. bat — for baseball

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