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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. court — of a king
  3. press — to push
  4. press — a publisher
  5. last — to go on
  6. net — in sport
  7. press — newspapers
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. current — happening now
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — the cause
  12. net — after costs
  13. current — of water
  14. root — of a word
  15. ball — a great time
  16. court — of law
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. last — final
  21. current — electric
  22. last — finally
  23. net — for catching
  24. court — for sport

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