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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. row — a line
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. row — to paddle
  6. spell — magic
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. spell — letters
  11. court — for sport
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. suit — in cards
  15. fall — the season
  16. press — newspapers
  17. fall — to drop
  18. court — of a king
  19. press — a publisher
  20. fall — to drop
  21. spell — a short time
  22. suit — to fit
  23. press — to push
  24. suit — clothes

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