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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. press — a publisher
  5. court — of a king
  6. press — to push
  7. court — of law
  8. foot — a measure
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. branch — a division
  14. chair — a leader
  15. press — newspapers
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. date — the fruit
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bore — to tire
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — a series
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bore — to drill

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