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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — wild animals
  3. press — to push
  4. degree — temperature
  5. game — a match
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. press — newspapers
  8. degree — from a university
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. kick — in football
  12. spell — magic
  13. degree — an amount
  14. press — a publisher
  15. spell — a short time
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. spell — letters

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