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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bear — the animal
  5. hand — help
  6. press — to push
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. court — of law
  10. hand — in cards
  11. court — of a king
  12. land — ground
  13. court — for sport
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. saw — the tool
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. land — a country
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. land — to come down
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — a publisher

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