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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. press — a publisher
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wound — an injury
  5. press — to push
  6. court — of a king
  7. face — part of the head
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. bulb — for light
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. press — newspapers
  12. bulb — for light
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. wound — an injury
  16. face — to point toward
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. face — to confront
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. court — for sport

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