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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. game — a match
  3. bass — the fish
  4. press — to push
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of a king
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. court — of law
  16. game — wild animals
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — newspapers
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. row — to paddle
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bass — low music
  24. row — a line

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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