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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. fall — to drop
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. press — to push
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ball — a dance
  8. cap — a lid
  9. row — to paddle
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — for sport
  12. hand — help
  13. fall — the season
  14. cap — of ice
  15. press — a publisher
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. press — newspapers
  18. fall — to drop
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. ball — a great time
  21. cap — a hat
  22. hand — in cards
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. court — of law

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