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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. game — a match
  3. roll — a cake
  4. ball — a great time
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. rest — a break
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — a publisher
  9. game — wild animals
  10. clip — to cut
  11. rest — what's left
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. ball — a dance
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. clip — a video
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. clip — for paper
  19. rest — what's left
  20. press — to push
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. ball — a round shape

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