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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. cue — a signal
  3. court — for sport
  4. swing — music
  5. swing — in golf
  6. court — of a king
  7. fall — the season
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. fall — to drop
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bat — the animal
  13. swing — to play on
  14. press — newspapers
  15. cue — for pool
  16. rock — a stone
  17. press — a publisher
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. cue — a hint
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. court — of law
  24. press — to push

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