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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 · toast · hide · mark · straw · last · press · clip

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. clip — to cut
  4. last — to go on
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. toast — bread
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. press — newspapers
  11. last — final
  12. clip — for paper
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. last — finally
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. press — to push
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. mark — a trace
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. press — a publisher
  22. chip — for betting
  23. mark — a grade
  24. clip — a video

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