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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: mouse · roll · chip · kid · stock · press · stick · tear

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. chip — to eat
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. chip — for betting
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. kid — to tease
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. roll — a cake
  12. press — newspapers
  13. stock — goods
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. press — to push
  16. press — a publisher
  17. kid — child
  18. tear — from crying
  19. stock — shares
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. tear — from crying
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. roll — a list

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