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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. lean — to bend
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — to push
  7. lean — thin
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. press — newspapers
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. land — to come down
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. stock — shares
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. game — wild animals
  21. land — a country
  22. land — ground
  23. game — a match
  24. stock — goods

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