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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. press — a publisher
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. game — a match
  5. fine — all right
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. rest — what's left
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. press — to push
  11. rest — a break
  12. root — of a word
  13. tube — a container
  14. bear — the animal
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. press — newspapers
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. tube — the underground
  21. root — of a plant
  22. game — wild animals
  23. root — the cause
  24. fine — high quality

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