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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. press — a publisher
  3. track — to keep track
  4. press — to push
  5. court — of law
  6. pound — a weight
  7. charge — in control
  8. bore — to drill
  9. track — a song
  10. swing — to play on
  11. track — a path
  12. charge — electricity
  13. spring — a coil
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — music
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. bore — to tire
  19. charge — a price
  20. spring — of water
  21. court — for sport
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. spring — the season
  24. press — newspapers

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