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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — tied together
  5. pop — to visit
  6. court — of a king
  7. press — a publisher
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pop — music
  10. deal — to handle
  11. board — to get on
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. press — to push
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bound — certain
  16. pop — soda
  17. court — for sport
  18. board — a committee
  19. press — newspapers
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. court — of law
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. board — a flat piece

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