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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 124 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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. wake — a trail
  3. court — for sport
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a song
  6. press — to push
  7. lean — to bend
  8. track — a path
  9. lean — thin
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. board — a committee
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. court — of law
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — completely
  17. board — to get on
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — a publisher
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. kick — in football
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. kick — with a leg

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