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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. fine — high quality
  7. press — a publisher
  8. chip — for betting
  9. press — to push
  10. press — newspapers
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fork — in a road
  14. court — of law
  15. court — for sport
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — a city
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. capital — money
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. chip — to eat
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. fine — all right

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