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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. staff — employees
  3. rush — hurry
  4. game — a match
  5. pop — music
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. net — after costs
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. staff — employees
  11. press — newspapers
  12. key — in music
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. key — the most important part
  15. net — in sport
  16. pop — to visit
  17. press — a publisher
  18. perch — the fish
  19. pop — soda
  20. press — to push
  21. staff — a stick
  22. net — for catching
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. key — for a lock

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