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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. press — to push
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — for sport
  5. fall — to drop
  6. object — an aim
  7. drill — army training
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. plane — a tool
  10. object — a thing
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. hand — in cards
  13. fall — to drop
  14. press — a publisher
  15. drill — a practice
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. object — to protest
  18. fork — in a road
  19. press — newspapers
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. court — of law
  24. drill — the tool

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