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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. scale — in music
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. mate — to breed
  6. tube — the underground
  7. foot — a measure
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. scale — size or range
  10. cold — an illness
  11. row — to paddle
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. press — to push
  16. cold — not warm
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. game — a match
  19. mate — a friend
  20. press — a publisher
  21. mate — a partner
  22. game — wild animals
  23. tube — a container
  24. row — a line

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