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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. press — to push
  3. pop — music
  4. cue — a hint
  5. sharp — clever
  6. court — of law
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. cue — a signal
  9. pop — to visit
  10. root — of a word
  11. court — for sport
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. pop — soda
  14. press — newspapers
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — a match
  18. root — the cause
  19. pit — in a race
  20. press — a publisher
  21. root — of a plant
  22. court — of a king
  23. cue — for pool
  24. sharp — exactly

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