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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. pass — a permit
  3. game — a match
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. press — to push
  6. mine — for digging
  7. spell — a short time
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. spell — magic
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. press — a publisher
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. spell — letters
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. rock — music
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — the season
  19. press — newspapers
  20. spring — a coil
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. chair — a leader
  24. rock — a stone

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