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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — a match
  3. game — wild animals
  4. swing — in golf
  5. bound — certain
  6. row — a line
  7. cap — a hat
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. press — to push
  12. swing — music
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bound — obliged
  16. row — to paddle
  17. cap — of ice
  18. press — newspapers
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. press — a publisher
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bound — tied together
  24. swing — to play on

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