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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. club — for golf
  4. bark — to shout
  5. press — a publisher
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. wind — moving air
  9. club — a group
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. wind — moving air
  15. saw — the tool
  16. game — wild animals
  17. club — for dancing
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. press — to push
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. press — newspapers
  23. scale — in music
  24. game — a match

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