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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. press — a publisher
  3. chip — for betting
  4. game — wild animals
  5. chip — to eat
  6. march — the month
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. spring — a coil
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. spring — of water
  12. march — music
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. stem — to come from
  15. vault — a safe
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. press — newspapers
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. spring — the season
  21. game — a match
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. press — to push

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