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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 120 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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. craft — a skill
  3. club — a group
  4. press — a publisher
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. club — for golf
  8. game — a match
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. press — to push
  11. craft — boats
  12. bound — certain
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. pit — a hole
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. pit — in a race
  24. press — newspapers

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