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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. spell — a short time
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. kid — to tease
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. press — to push
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — letters
  12. sharp — clever
  13. kid — child
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bound — obliged
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bound — tied together
  18. game — wild animals
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — to get on
  21. press — a publisher
  22. game — a match
  23. bound — certain
  24. wave — of the sea

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