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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. court — of law
  3. press — to push
  4. track — a song
  5. rock — music
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. track — to keep track
  10. press — newspapers
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. press — a publisher
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. court — for sport
  17. tear — to rip
  18. court — of a king
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — for digging
  22. track — a path
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rock — a stone

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