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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: key · squash · press · cold · mug · chip · snap · bowl

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — in music
  4. chip — for betting
  5. mug — a face
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. cold — not warm
  8. press — newspapers
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mug — a cup
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. squash — to crush
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. snap — to click
  15. chip — to eat
  16. cold — an illness
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — the sport
  19. press — to push
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. key — for a lock
  24. chip — in a computer

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