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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — obliged
  4. clip — to cut
  5. court — for sport
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. clip — for paper
  8. cue — a hint
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. press — newspapers
  12. clip — a video
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. cue — a signal
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pit — a hole
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bound — tied together
  19. pit — in a race
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. court — of a king
  22. press — to push
  23. cue — for pool
  24. press — a publisher

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