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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bear — the animal
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. spring — the season
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. land — to come down
  9. suit — clothes
  10. bear — the animal
  11. land — a country
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. fall — to drop
  14. spring — a coil
  15. game — a match
  16. suit — to fit
  17. suit — in cards
  18. land — ground
  19. fall — the season
  20. spring — of water
  21. game — wild animals
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — to push
  24. fall — to drop

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