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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. rush — hurry
  8. press — a publisher
  9. court — of law
  10. bear — the animal
  11. current — electric
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. board — a committee
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. press — newspapers
  16. current — of water
  17. hand — help
  18. court — for sport
  19. press — to push
  20. board — to get on
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. current — happening now

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