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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. press — to push
  3. hand — in cards
  4. suit — in cards
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. court — for sport
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. suit — to fit
  10. press — a publisher
  11. hand — help
  12. net — for catching
  13. court — of law
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. court — of a king
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. net — in sport
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. press — newspapers
  22. vault — a safe
  23. suit — clothes
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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