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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of law
  3. press — to push
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. present — there
  6. present — a gift
  7. present — the time now
  8. last — to go on
  9. press — newspapers
  10. last — finally
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. court — of a king
  13. spring — the season
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. pound — a weight
  20. deal — to handle
  21. spring — a coil
  22. press — a publisher
  23. spring — of water
  24. last — final

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