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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mug — a cup
  4. press — a publisher
  5. mug — to rob
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. press — newspapers
  8. game — a match
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mug — a face
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. game — wild animals
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bass — low music
  22. wind — moving air
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. nail — for a hammer

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