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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: bay · fan · press · saw · object · chip · bat · race

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. object — to protest
  3. race — humankind
  4. press — newspapers
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. bat — the animal
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. press — a publisher
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. object — a thing
  18. chip — for betting
  19. race — a contest
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. object — an aim
  23. race — the arms race
  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