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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 120 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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — for sport
  4. press — to push
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — after costs
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. court — of law
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cell — in biology
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — a publisher
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — a phone
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. net — in sport
  17. mate — to breed
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. cap — of ice
  20. mate — a partner
  21. pound — a weight
  22. mate — a friend
  23. board — a committee
  24. cap — a lid

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