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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. press — to push
  3. press — a publisher
  4. march — the month
  5. ground — the earth
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of law
  8. ground — a position
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cue — for pool
  11. court — of a king
  12. land — a country
  13. march — music
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — a hint
  16. bass — low music
  17. land — ground
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. press — newspapers
  20. bass — the fish
  21. ground — crushed
  22. march — the month
  23. land — to come down
  24. bass — the instrument

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