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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. press — to push
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. press — newspapers
  5. tear — to rip
  6. object — a thing
  7. lean — thin
  8. bat — the animal
  9. game — a match
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. rock — music
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — a gift
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. press — a publisher
  17. lean — to bend
  18. game — wild animals
  19. rock — a stone
  20. present — there
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. object — to protest
  24. tear — from crying

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