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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 124 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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. ground — crushed
  5. press — to push
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. court — of law
  8. press — newspapers
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of a king
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. land — to come down
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bear — the animal
  16. ground — the earth
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. vault — a safe
  19. press — a publisher
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. land — ground
  23. land — a country
  24. ground — a position

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