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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — a break
  6. game — wild animals
  7. press — to push
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — a match
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fine — all right
  13. current — of water
  14. press — newspapers
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. shower — to wash
  17. snap — to click
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. press — a publisher
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. fine — high quality
  22. current — happening now
  23. shower — rain
  24. current — electric

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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