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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. march — the month
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. press — newspapers
  5. march — the month
  6. game — wild animals
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. firm — steady
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. march — music
  13. firm — decided
  14. game — a match
  15. press — a publisher
  16. perch — the fish
  17. land — a country
  18. press — to push
  19. firm — a company
  20. land — ground
  21. land — to come down
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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