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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: chip · mark · hand · snap · press · hide · scale · straw

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. press — a publisher
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — size or range
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. scale — in music
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. chip — to eat
  17. press — newspapers
  18. mark — a grade
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. hand — help
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. mark — a trace
  23. chip — for betting
  24. press — to push

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