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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. clip — a video
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. cue — a hint
  5. press — a publisher
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. press — to push
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pitch — completely
  11. cue — for pool
  12. current — of water
  13. cue — a signal
  14. clip — for paper
  15. game — wild animals
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. current — happening now
  18. court — for sport
  19. current — electric
  20. press — newspapers
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. court — of a king
  23. clip — to cut
  24. game — a match

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