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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. suit — in cards
  3. rest — a break
  4. ball — a dance
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rest — what's left
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. net — in sport
  9. tear — from crying
  10. court — of law
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. rest — what's left
  13. press — newspapers
  14. suit — to fit
  15. press — to push
  16. tear — to rip
  17. ball — a great time
  18. suit — clothes
  19. court — for sport
  20. tube — the underground
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — after costs
  23. court — of a king
  24. tube — a container

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