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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. can — a tin
  5. swing — in golf
  6. game — a match
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — to play on
  9. game — wild animals
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. chair — a leader
  15. press — newspapers
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. press — a publisher
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. press — to push
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. sharp — clever

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