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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. court — for sport
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — of law
  10. bear — the animal
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. press — to push
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. pop — music
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pop — soda
  21. press — newspapers
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. pop — to visit
  24. leaves — of a tree

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