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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. mark — a grade
  3. game — a match
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. tube — a container
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. press — to push
  10. court — of a king
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. wound — an injury
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. court — for sport
  15. press — a publisher
  16. game — wild animals
  17. mark — a trace
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. tube — the underground
  20. press — newspapers
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mark — to pay attention

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