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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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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 · deal · rash · rule · chip · lean · pit · tube

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. rule — a law
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. lean — thin
  5. press — to push
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chip — for betting
  8. rash — hasty
  9. deal — to handle
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. press — a publisher
  12. rule — government
  13. tube — a container
  14. lean — to bend
  15. press — newspapers
  16. tube — the underground
  17. rash — a series
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — in a race
  22. pit — a hole
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. lean — to rest against

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