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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 · current · hide · pop · mate · chip · date · cap

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. pop — music
  3. date — the fruit
  4. press — newspapers
  5. current — happening now
  6. mate — a partner
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. current — electric
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pop — to visit
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. chip — to eat
  13. cap — a hat
  14. chip — for betting
  15. press — a publisher
  16. mate — to breed
  17. pop — soda
  18. mate — a friend
  19. current — of water
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — of ice
  23. press — to push
  24. date — on the calendar

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