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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: wake · press · club · deal · field · game · mouse · cell

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  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. mouse — for a computer
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. cell — in biology
  4. press — to push
  5. field — for sport
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. club — for golf
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. cell — a phone
  11. deal — to handle
  12. press — newspapers
  13. field — a subject
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. wake — a trail
  16. field — farmland
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. press — a publisher
  20. club — a group
  21. game — a match
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. club — for dancing
  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