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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. press — newspapers
  4. shower — rain
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. bat — the animal
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — soda
  12. snap — to click
  13. sharp — clever
  14. press — a publisher
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. pop — to visit
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. game — a match
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. game — wild animals
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bat — in an idiom
  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