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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. press — newspapers
  4. spell — letters
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. spell — a short time
  7. chair — a leader
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. rock — music
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. press — to push
  13. key — for a lock
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. game — a match
  16. press — a publisher
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. key — the most important part
  21. game — wild animals
  22. kick — in football
  23. spell — magic
  24. key — 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