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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.

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: bay · temple · hide · scale · press · game · capital · clip

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — for paper
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. press — a publisher
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. capital — money
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. press — newspapers
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. capital — a city
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. game — a match
  17. scale — in music
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. game — wild animals
  22. press — to push
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. clip — a video

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