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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. club — a group
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. staff — employees
  5. saw — the tool
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bark — to shout
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. squash — to crush
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. deal — to handle
  13. staff — a stick
  14. club — for golf
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. squash — the sport
  18. staff — employees
  19. press — newspapers
  20. game — wild animals
  21. press — to push
  22. press — a publisher
  23. club — for dancing
  24. deal — a big deal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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