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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. game — wild animals
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. press — to push
  5. spell — a short time
  6. court — for sport
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. vault — a safe
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. spell — letters
  14. rule — government
  15. press — newspapers
  16. court — of law
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. game — a match
  20. content — happy
  21. rule — a law
  22. court — of a king
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. spell — magic

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