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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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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: hand · rule · club · press · wax · can · game · pitcher

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. press — newspapers
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. hand — help
  6. can — to be able to
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. rule — a law
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. press — to push
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. game — a match
  14. press — a publisher
  15. club — a group
  16. game — wild animals
  17. rule — government
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. club — for golf
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. hand — in cards
  23. wax — to grow
  24. club — for dancing

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