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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. court — of law
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. press — a publisher
  6. charge — a price
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. press — newspapers
  11. vault — a safe
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. charge — in control
  14. court — of a king
  15. content — the amount
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. charge — electricity
  19. content — happy
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. fan — to cool the air
  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