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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. last — to go on
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. press — to push
  5. wind — moving air
  6. club — a group
  7. last — final
  8. press — newspapers
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. club — for golf
  11. wind — moving air
  12. track — a path
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. court — for sport
  15. press — a publisher
  16. track — a song
  17. court — of a king
  18. club — for dancing
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. last — finally
  22. kick — in football
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. track — to keep track

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