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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. press — to push
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. clip — for paper
  8. mark — a trace
  9. press — a publisher
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. clip — to cut
  12. press — newspapers
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. clip — a video
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. game — a match
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. mark — a grade
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. game — wild animals
  24. temple — side of the head

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