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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  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. content — videos and posts
  2. court — of a king
  3. shower — to wash
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. charge — in control
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. field — for sport
  8. shower — rain
  9. charge — electricity
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. field — a subject
  12. court — for sport
  13. press — to push
  14. charge — a price
  15. press — newspapers
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. content — the amount
  18. court — of law
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. content — happy
  21. field — farmland
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  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