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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. staff — a stick
  6. staff — employees
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. pop — music
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. pop — soda
  11. pop — to visit
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. press — to push
  14. press — newspapers
  15. content — happy
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. press — a publisher
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. content — the amount
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. dip — to sink
  23. game — a match
  24. bowl — to roll

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