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

Word bank: mouse · kid · rule · bear · press · mug · tear · game

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. kid — to tease
  3. press — to push
  4. rule — government
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. rule — a law
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — to rob
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mug — a face
  13. game — a match
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — child
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. tear — to rip
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. tear — from crying
  20. game — wild animals
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. press — a publisher
  24. mouse — the animal

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