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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 120 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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. rock — a stone
  3. court — of a king
  4. squash — to crush
  5. mate — to breed
  6. rock — music
  7. mate — a friend
  8. squash — the sport
  9. mate — a partner
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — the tool
  13. net — for catching
  14. press — to push
  15. net — in sport
  16. drill — army training
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. dip — to sink
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. press — a publisher
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of law
  23. press — newspapers
  24. net — after costs

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