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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. squash — the sport
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. squash — to crush
  6. press — to push
  7. court — for sport
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. plane — a tool
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. field — a subject
  13. mark — a trace
  14. field — for sport
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. mark — a grade
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — a publisher
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. field — farmland
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. court — of a king
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. plane — in geometry

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