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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 124 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. content — happy
  3. cue — a hint
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. track — a song
  6. track — a path
  7. track — to keep track
  8. game — a match
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. kick — in football
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. press — newspapers
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cue — for pool
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. press — a publisher
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — a stone
  21. press — to push
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. deal — to handle

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