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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. game — a match
  4. capital — a city
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — music
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. press — to push
  11. capital — money
  12. march — the month
  13. charge — a price
  14. press — newspapers
  15. charge — in control
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. press — a publisher
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. charge — electricity
  22. march — the month
  23. game — wild animals
  24. march — music

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