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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. prune — to trim
  4. press — a publisher
  5. prune — to trim
  6. game — a match
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. key — in music
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. game — wild animals
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. press — to push
  20. key — the most important part
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. key — for a lock
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bulb — for light

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