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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. press — to push
  3. last — to go on
  4. ground — the earth
  5. last — final
  6. court — of law
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cue — for pool
  12. court — for sport
  13. press — newspapers
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. last — finally
  16. press — a publisher
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. court — of a king
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. cue — a signal
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — a position
  24. stand — to bear

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