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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. rash — a series
  3. swing — in golf
  4. rock — music
  5. object — a thing
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. net — after costs
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. net — in sport
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. object — to protest
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. game — a match
  14. net — for catching
  15. press — to push
  16. press — a publisher
  17. object — an aim
  18. rash — hasty
  19. game — wild animals
  20. press — newspapers
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — to play on
  23. bear — the animal
  24. rock — a stone

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