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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bear — the animal
  4. press — a publisher
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — of law
  7. press — newspapers
  8. fall — to drop
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — for dancing
  11. fall — the season
  12. march — the month
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. march — music
  15. bear — the animal
  16. club — a group
  17. march — the month
  18. press — to push

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