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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. game — wild animals
  4. mug — a cup
  5. press — to push
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. press — newspapers
  12. pop — soda
  13. lie — to recline
  14. mug — to rob
  15. game — a match
  16. scale — size or range
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mug — a face
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. press — a publisher
  22. pop — music
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. scale — in music

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