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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. court — of a king
  3. can — to be able to
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. press — newspapers
  6. face — to confront
  7. rock — music
  8. can — a tin
  9. press — to push
  10. court — of law
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mark — a trace
  14. face — to point toward
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — a stone
  17. press — a publisher
  18. court — for sport
  19. mark — a grade
  20. rash — a series
  21. can — a tin
  22. rash — hasty
  23. face — part of the head
  24. saw — the tool

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