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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 120 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 · shower · pass · present · scale · chip · clip · kid

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. scale — in music
  3. press — a publisher
  4. kid — to tease
  5. chip — for betting
  6. clip — for paper
  7. press — newspapers
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. present — the time now
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. pass — a permit
  13. scale — size or range
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. shower — to wash
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. press — to push
  19. shower — rain
  20. kid — child
  21. clip — to cut
  22. present — there
  23. chip — to eat
  24. present — a gift

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