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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 124 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. press — newspapers
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. can — to be able to
  6. snap — to click
  7. roll — a list
  8. mug — to rob
  9. cell — a phone
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. hand — in cards
  12. game — wild animals
  13. cell — in biology
  14. hand — help
  15. press — to push
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. can — a tin
  18. mug — a face
  19. can — a tin
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. mug — a cup
  23. roll — a cake
  24. press — a publisher

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