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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. club — for golf
  3. press — to push
  4. kid — to tease
  5. club — a group
  6. court — for sport
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. court — of law
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. last — final
  11. kid — child
  12. press — a publisher
  13. root — the cause
  14. pitch — completely
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. root — of a word
  17. court — of a king
  18. last — to go on
  19. root — of a plant
  20. press — newspapers
  21. club — for dancing
  22. last — finally
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. bear — the animal

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