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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: press · bark · cap · chip · mouse · bowl · roll · march

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. cap — of ice
  3. march — the month
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. march — the month
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bark — to shout
  11. cap — a hat
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — a list
  19. chip — for betting
  20. cap — a lid
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. press — to push
  24. march — music

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