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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: kid · mate · press · chip · staff · object · squash · nail

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — to protest
  3. kid — to tease
  4. press — a publisher
  5. mate — a partner
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. press — to push
  8. squash — the sport
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — for betting
  11. kid — child
  12. press — newspapers
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. mate — a friend
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mate — to breed
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. object — a thing
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. staff — a stick

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