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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. court — of a king
  6. press — to push
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. press — a publisher
  9. court — for sport
  10. press — newspapers
  11. pop — music
  12. sharp — clever
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. pop — to visit
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. foot — a measure
  21. mine — for digging
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. pop — soda
  24. court — of law

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