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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. rest — what's left
  5. game — a match
  6. season — in sport
  7. band — a ring
  8. chip — to eat
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. wind — moving air
  12. press — to push
  13. game — wild animals
  14. press — a publisher
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. wind — moving air
  17. press — newspapers
  18. rest — a break
  19. vault — a safe
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. season — of the year
  23. band — a music group
  24. rest — what's left

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