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

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. press — to push
  3. last — final
  4. court — of a king
  5. press — newspapers
  6. court — for sport
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. last — to go on
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. press — a publisher
  13. court — of law
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. last — finally
  17. pass — a permit
  18. mouse — for a computer

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