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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. press — to push
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — newspapers
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. court — of a king
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. pound — a weight
  12. kid — to tease
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — a country
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. court — of law
  17. lie — to recline
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. land — ground
  21. content — happy
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. vault — a safe
  24. kid — child

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