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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. court — of a king
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. press — to push
  5. court — for sport
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cell — in biology
  9. prune — to trim
  10. press — a publisher
  11. drill — army training
  12. drill — the tool
  13. press — newspapers
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. prune — to trim
  17. hand — help
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. court — of law
  21. drill — a practice
  22. band — a ring
  23. hand — in cards
  24. band — a music group

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