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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. ground — a position
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. chair — a leader
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. press — to push
  12. ground — the earth
  13. game — a match
  14. press — newspapers
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. craft — boats
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. ground — crushed
  20. wake — a trail
  21. press — a publisher
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — low music
  24. chair — to sit on

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