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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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Word bank
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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. kid — child
  3. rest — what's left
  4. press — newspapers
  5. press — to push
  6. press — a publisher
  7. rest — what's left
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. shower — to wash
  10. lean — to bend
  11. fine — high quality
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. rest — a break
  14. date — the fruit
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. shower — rain
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. lean — thin
  22. kid — to tease
  23. game — wild animals
  24. fine — all right

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