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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. staff — employees
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. chair — a leader
  7. game — a match
  8. key — in music
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — newspapers
  11. stock — goods
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. key — the most important part
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. rock — a stone
  16. press — to push
  17. stock — shares
  18. game — wild animals
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. fine — all right
  21. staff — employees
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. key — for a lock
  24. staff — a stick

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