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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. court — for sport
  3. ground — crushed
  4. press — newspapers
  5. press — to push
  6. wind — moving air
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. ground — a position
  10. pitch — completely
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. fine — high quality
  14. club — for golf
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. court — of a king
  19. ground — the earth
  20. club — a group
  21. club — for dancing
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. press — a publisher
  24. court — of law

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