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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. press — to push
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. bore — to drill
  8. press — a publisher
  9. game — a match
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. fork — in a road
  16. date — the fruit
  17. bore — to tire
  18. press — newspapers

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