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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. squash — the sport
  3. kid — child
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. press — a publisher
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. pop — music
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. kid — to tease
  11. vault — a safe
  12. fork — in a road
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. pop — to visit
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. press — to push
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. squash — to crush
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. wake — a trail
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. pop — soda
  24. press — newspapers

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