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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. fall — to drop
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. press — a publisher
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. press — newspapers
  7. craft — boats
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. court — of a king
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. suit — in cards
  12. suit — to fit
  13. court — of law
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. file — a tool
  18. press — to push
  19. file — a document
  20. craft — a skill
  21. court — for sport
  22. kick — in football
  23. file — a line of people
  24. kick — a thrill

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