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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: shower · bore · kid · file · hide · chip · net · press

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. file — a document
  3. press — a publisher
  4. kid — to tease
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. kid — child
  7. chip — for betting
  8. shower — to wash
  9. net — in sport
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bore — to drill
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bore — to tire
  19. file — a tool
  20. shower — rain
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — after costs
  24. chip — to eat

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