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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 116 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. court — for sport
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. press — a publisher
  5. net — for catching
  6. press — to push
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. squash — the sport
  11. firm — decided
  12. net — in sport
  13. land — a country
  14. press — newspapers
  15. court — of a king
  16. sharp — clever
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. court — of law
  19. firm — a company
  20. land — to come down
  21. firm — steady
  22. net — after costs
  23. squash — to crush
  24. safe — out of danger

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