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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. last — final
  3. swing — music
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — newspapers
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. press — to push
  12. tube — the underground
  13. last — finally
  14. squash — to crush
  15. game — a match
  16. swing — in golf
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. swing — to play on
  19. tube — a container
  20. prune — to trim
  21. last — to go on
  22. prune — to trim
  23. game — wild animals
  24. mouse — the animal

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