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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. rash — a series
  4. mark — a grade
  5. press — newspapers
  6. rash — hasty
  7. key — for a lock
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. press — to push
  11. rest — a break
  12. key — the most important part
  13. can — a tin
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. key — in music
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — wild animals
  20. can — to be able to
  21. mark — a trace
  22. can — a tin
  23. rest — what's left
  24. press — a publisher

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