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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. court — of law
  3. game — a match
  4. mate — a partner
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — to push
  8. swing — in golf
  9. spring — of water
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. press — a publisher
  12. swing — to play on
  13. game — wild animals
  14. spring — the season
  15. chip — to eat
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. court — of a king
  18. spring — a coil
  19. court — for sport
  20. swing — music
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chip — for betting
  24. mate — to breed

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