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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. press — to push
  4. suit — to fit
  5. rash — hasty
  6. game — wild animals
  7. march — music
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. suit — clothes
  10. press — newspapers
  11. capital — money
  12. march — the month
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. capital — a city
  15. spring — of water
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. suit — in cards
  18. game — a match
  19. march — the month
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. spring — the season
  22. rash — a series
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. spring — a coil

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