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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — of law
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — to push
  7. swing — to play on
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — to confront
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. swing — in golf
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — letters
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. face — part of the head
  18. court — for sport
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. spell — a short time
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. press — newspapers
  23. swing — music
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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