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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. press — newspapers
  3. spring — the season
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. press — to push
  6. spring — a coil
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. mark — a trace
  9. can — a tin
  10. staff — employees
  11. dip — to sink
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. press — a publisher
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. can — a tin
  16. staff — a stick
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. can — to be able to
  19. spring — of water
  20. game — a match
  21. mark — a grade
  22. staff — employees
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. mark — to pay attention

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