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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. can — a tin
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. can — to be able to
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. kick — in football
  9. shower — rain
  10. press — a publisher
  11. game — wild animals
  12. press — to push
  13. court — of a king
  14. wound — an injury
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. can — a tin
  17. press — newspapers
  18. mark — a grade
  19. court — of law
  20. court — for sport
  21. mark — a trace
  22. game — a match
  23. wound — an injury
  24. shower — to wash

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