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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. court — for sport
  3. chip — to eat
  4. race — a contest
  5. press — to push
  6. face — part of the head
  7. race — the arms race
  8. drill — the tool
  9. court — of a king
  10. race — humankind
  11. drill — army training
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. fine — high quality
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — to confront
  19. court — of law
  20. drill — a practice
  21. press — newspapers
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. press — a publisher

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