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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. craft — boats
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. press — to push
  5. ground — a position
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. game — wild animals
  8. cue — a hint
  9. press — a publisher
  10. ground — crushed
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. ground — the earth
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. court — of law
  15. court — for sport
  16. cue — a signal
  17. plane — a tool
  18. press — newspapers
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. craft — a skill
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — a match
  23. cue — for pool
  24. plane — in geometry

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