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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. press — to push
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. pit — a hole
  7. game — a match
  8. present — a gift
  9. mine — for digging
  10. game — wild animals
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — for paper
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. present — there
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. clip — a video
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. press — newspapers
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. present — the time now
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. pit — in a race
  23. press — a publisher
  24. mouse — the animal

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