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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. court — for sport
  3. wound — an injury
  4. press — a publisher
  5. suit — in cards
  6. press — to push
  7. vault — a safe
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. court — of a king
  11. press — newspapers
  12. suit — clothes
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. tear — from crying
  17. scale — size or range
  18. wound — an injury
  19. court — of law
  20. scale — in music
  21. suit — to fit
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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