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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. court — of a king
  3. press — newspapers
  4. face — part of the head
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. court — of law
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. court — for sport
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rush — hurry
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitch — completely
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. press — a publisher
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. face — to point toward
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. face — to confront
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pitcher — a jug

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