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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. hand — help
  4. last — final
  5. press — to push
  6. press — newspapers
  7. last — to go on
  8. hand — in cards
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. game — a match
  12. wind — moving air
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — wild animals
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. firm — decided
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. firm — steady
  19. wind — moving air
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. last — finally
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. branch — a division
  24. firm — a company

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