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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. wound — an injury
  6. craft — boats
  7. game — wild animals
  8. press — to push
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. wound — an injury
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — money
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. craft — a skill
  18. capital — a city
  19. press — newspapers
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — hurry
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. game — a match
  24. jam — in traffic

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