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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. press — newspapers
  3. game — wild animals
  4. can — to be able to
  5. key — for a lock
  6. hand — in cards
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stock — goods
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. key — the most important part
  17. press — to push
  18. game — a match
  19. press — a publisher
  20. clip — for paper
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. stock — shares
  23. key — in music
  24. hand — part of the body

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