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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · season · shower · cell · game · press · fine · wind

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. press — to push
  4. rock — music
  5. press — a publisher
  6. wind — moving air
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. press — newspapers
  9. wind — moving air
  10. shower — to wash
  11. fine — high quality
  12. shower — rain
  13. rock — a stone
  14. season — of the year
  15. cell — a phone
  16. fine — all right
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. season — in sport
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. cell — in biology
  22. game — a match
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. wind — to turn a key

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