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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. ball — a great time
  3. press — to push
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. game — wild animals
  7. ball — a dance
  8. clip — a video
  9. game — a match
  10. roll — a cake
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. press — a publisher
  13. clip — for paper
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. roll — a list
  16. clip — to cut
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. wake — a trail
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. game — a kind of play

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