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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 116 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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. march — the month
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a hole
  9. press — to push
  10. key — for a lock
  11. game — a match
  12. key — the most important part
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. game — wild animals
  15. press — newspapers
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. press — a publisher
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. march — music
  20. shower — to wash
  21. key — in music
  22. shower — rain
  23. pass — a permit
  24. march — the month

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