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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. rest — what's left
  3. court — of law
  4. pop — to visit
  5. press — to push
  6. mark — a grade
  7. court — for sport
  8. pitch — completely
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. press — a publisher
  11. press — newspapers
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. rest — a break
  14. mark — a trace
  15. last — to go on
  16. pop — music
  17. last — finally
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pop — soda
  22. date — the fruit
  23. last — final
  24. court — of a king

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