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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. net — after costs
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. press — newspapers
  7. game — a match
  8. degree — an amount
  9. press — to push
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. season — of the year
  12. stand — to bear
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. degree — temperature
  15. press — a publisher
  16. degree — from a university
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. net — for catching
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. net — in sport

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