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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. press — a publisher
  3. press — to push
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. dip — to sink
  7. drill — a practice
  8. game — wild animals
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. drill — the tool
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. scale — size or range
  16. perch — the fish
  17. mark — a grade
  18. scale — in music
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. game — a match
  22. press — newspapers
  23. mark — a trace
  24. drill — army training

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