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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 120 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. firm — a company
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — all right
  6. key — in music
  7. court — for sport
  8. fine — high quality
  9. press — to push
  10. key — for a lock
  11. court — of law
  12. bear — the animal
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. firm — steady
  16. key — the most important part
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. press — newspapers
  20. firm — decided
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. court — of a king
  24. bear — the animal

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