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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. pit — in a race
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. press — to push
  5. snap — to click
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. press — a publisher
  8. rest — what's left
  9. lean — thin
  10. game — a match
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — hurry
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pit — a hole
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. press — newspapers
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. lean — to bend
  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