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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — not warm
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. press — to push
  7. mug — a cup
  8. court — for sport
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. press — newspapers
  12. stand — to bear
  13. mug — to rob
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. bark — to shout
  16. court — of a king
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. mug — a face
  21. court — of law
  22. press — a publisher
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. foot — part of the body

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