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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 116 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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. bat — the animal
  3. press — to push
  4. court — of law
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. object — an aim
  7. object — to protest
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. wound — an injury
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. court — for sport
  12. press — a publisher
  13. wound — an injury
  14. object — a thing
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. mate — a friend
  18. court — of a king
  19. mate — to breed
  20. board — a committee
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. board — to get on
  23. fork — in a road
  24. mate — a partner

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