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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — a match
  4. press — newspapers
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — for paper
  7. rule — government
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. clip — a video
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. press — a publisher
  13. rule — a law
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bass — the fish
  18. press — to push
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bass — low music
  23. game — wild animals
  24. cap — a lid

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