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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. lean — to bend
  3. court — of law
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. court — for sport
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. ball — a dance
  8. pop — to visit
  9. snap — to click
  10. ball — a great time
  11. press — a publisher
  12. lean — thin
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. court — of a king
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. shower — rain
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. pop — soda
  21. press — to push
  22. press — newspapers
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. shower — to wash

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