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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 120 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. mug — to rob
  3. court — of law
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pound — a weight
  6. press — newspapers
  7. fine — all right
  8. press — a publisher
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — a match
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fine — high quality
  17. court — of a king
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. mug — a cup
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. mug — a face
  23. press — to push
  24. racket — for tennis

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