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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. cap — a hat
  3. track — to keep track
  4. cap — a lid
  5. pit — in a race
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. chest — a box
  9. foot — a measure
  10. chest — of your body
  11. press — to push
  12. press — a publisher
  13. court — for sport
  14. track — a song
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pit — a hole
  17. court — of a king
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. cap — of ice
  21. press — newspapers
  22. track — a path
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pass — a permit

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