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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bark — to shout
  3. rock — a stone
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. rock — music
  8. capital — money
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. press — a publisher
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lean — thin
  15. court — of law
  16. game — a match
  17. press — to push
  18. lean — to bend
  19. capital — a city
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. court — for sport
  22. lie — to recline
  23. game — wild animals
  24. press — newspapers

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