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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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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: cabinet · race · plane · snap · straw · wave · chip · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. chip — to eat
  9. race — the arms race
  10. chip — for betting
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. plane — a tool
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — humankind
  16. press — newspapers
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. snap — to click
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. press — to push
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. plane — in geometry

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