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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. pit — in a race
  4. tear — from crying
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. press — a publisher
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. tear — to rip
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. press — newspapers
  14. tear — from crying
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. press — to push
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pit — a hole

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