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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. court — of a king
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. press — newspapers
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. mug — a cup
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. present — the time now
  9. press — a publisher
  10. present — there
  11. court — for sport
  12. bat — the animal
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. present — a gift
  15. press — to push
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. mug — a face
  19. court — of law
  20. band — a music group
  21. mug — to rob
  22. band — a ring
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — exactly

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