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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 120 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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. present — there
  3. game — a match
  4. present — a gift
  5. press — a publisher
  6. swing — to play on
  7. track — a path
  8. press — to push
  9. swing — music
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bear — the animal
  12. swing — in golf
  13. present — the time now
  14. game — wild animals
  15. track — to keep track
  16. press — newspapers
  17. track — a song
  18. bear — the animal
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. trunk — of a tree

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