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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. court — of a king
  3. fall — to drop
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. roll — a list
  8. press — a publisher
  9. roll — a cake
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. press — newspapers
  12. squash — the sport
  13. press — to push
  14. court — for sport
  15. fall — the season
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. court — of law
  22. fall — to drop
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — to lash out

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