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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.

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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — the most important part
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. key — in music
  8. press — a publisher
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. bear — the animal
  12. dip — to sink
  13. root — of a plant
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. game — wild animals
  16. press — to push
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. game — a match
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — the cause
  22. content — happy
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bear — the animal

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