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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rush — hurry
  7. game — wild animals
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. press — to push
  11. press — newspapers
  12. rest — what's left
  13. race — a contest
  14. hand — help
  15. race — the arms race
  16. press — a publisher
  17. bulb — for light
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — clever
  20. game — a match
  21. race — humankind
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

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