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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. court — of law
  3. march — the month
  4. chair — a leader
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. march — the month
  8. tube — the underground
  9. spell — letters
  10. tube — a container
  11. spell — a short time
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. spell — magic
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. march — music
  16. snap — to click
  17. court — of a king
  18. press — a publisher
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. press — newspapers
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. press — to push
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. court — for sport

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