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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. rule — government
  4. mark — a trace
  5. court — for sport
  6. scale — size or range
  7. press — newspapers
  8. scale — in music
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. mark — a grade
  12. lie — to recline
  13. chair — a leader
  14. rule — a law
  15. press — to push
  16. court — of law
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. press — a publisher
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. fork — in a road
  24. chair — to sit on

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