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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. press — a publisher
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. game — wild animals
  8. track — a path
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. track — a song
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bank — for money
  14. track — to keep track
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bank — for money
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. game — a match
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bank — of a river
  21. press — to push
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. pound — a weight
  24. kid — child

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