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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. game — wild animals
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. wind — moving air
  8. scale — in music
  9. pitch — completely
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. game — a match
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. prune — to trim
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. scale — size or range
  18. press — to push
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. press — a publisher
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wind — moving air
  24. press — newspapers

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