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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. press — newspapers
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. scale — size or range
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. press — to push
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. scale — in music
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bulb — for light
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. mine — for digging
  15. saw — the tool
  16. court — of a king
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. game — a match
  20. press — a publisher
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bulb — for light
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. court — for sport

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