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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. court — of a king
  4. mark — a grade
  5. wound — an injury
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. last — to go on
  8. press — to push
  9. press — newspapers
  10. last — final
  11. mark — a trace
  12. press — a publisher
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of law
  16. cue — a hint
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. last — finally
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cue — for pool
  24. cue — a signal

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