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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — a match
  3. tube — a container
  4. press — to push
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — a weight
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. stem — to come from
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. game — wild animals
  12. tube — the underground
  13. present — there
  14. press — a publisher
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. present — the time now
  18. rock — a stone
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. rock — music
  21. present — a gift
  22. press — newspapers
  23. scale — size or range
  24. pound — for dogs

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