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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 116 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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. stock — goods
  3. rest — a break
  4. press — to push
  5. court — of law
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. tear — from crying
  8. court — of a king
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. kick — in football
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — shares
  13. tear — to rip
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. board — a committee
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rest — what's left
  19. board — to get on
  20. rest — what's left
  21. press — a publisher
  22. ball — a great time
  23. press — newspapers
  24. court — for sport

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