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

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. key — in music
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. prune — to trim
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. press — to push
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. game — a match
  13. prune — to trim
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a music group
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bear — the animal
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — for a lock
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a hat
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. press — newspapers
  24. band — a rubber band

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