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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. mate — a friend
  3. press — to push
  4. pop — to visit
  5. court — of a king
  6. pop — music
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. squash — to crush
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. mate — a partner
  12. deal — to handle
  13. court — of law
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. court — for sport
  16. mate — to breed
  17. press — a publisher
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. press — newspapers
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. safe — out of danger

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