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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. court — for sport
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. court — of a king
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. ground — the earth
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. court — of law
  10. press — a publisher
  11. ground — crushed
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. land — a country
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. land — to come down
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. press — newspapers
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. rock — music
  21. press — to push
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. ground — a position

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