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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. club — for dancing
  4. cold — an illness
  5. press — a publisher
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. press — to push
  9. court — of law
  10. present — there
  11. court — of a king
  12. present — a gift
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. saw — the tool
  15. court — for sport
  16. club — a group
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. present — the time now
  20. cold — not warm
  21. saw — the tool
  22. club — for golf
  23. bear — the animal
  24. press — newspapers

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