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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. chip — for betting
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — soda
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. press — newspapers
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. press — a publisher
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. game — wild animals
  16. press — to push
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pop — to visit
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — for sport
  21. chip — to eat
  22. pass — a permit
  23. wound — an injury
  24. field — a subject

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