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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. court — of law
  3. court — of a king
  4. hand — help
  5. mug — a cup
  6. ground — the earth
  7. press — a publisher
  8. mug — to rob
  9. hand — in cards
  10. scale — in music
  11. court — for sport
  12. press — newspapers
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. ground — a position
  15. craft — boats
  16. ground — crushed
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. scale — size or range
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. craft — a skill
  24. mug — a face

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