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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. key — for a lock
  3. press — a publisher
  4. lie — to recline
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. squash — to crush
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. file — a document
  11. key — in music
  12. row — to paddle
  13. key — the most important part
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. row — a line
  17. file — a line of people
  18. game — wild animals
  19. squash — the sport
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. file — a tool
  22. press — newspapers
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. press — to push

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