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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. press — to push
  3. court — of a king
  4. net — after costs
  5. stem — to come from
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. content — happy
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. net — for catching
  12. press — newspapers
  13. net — in sport
  14. mug — a cup
  15. court — of law
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a face
  21. press — a publisher
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — the amount
  24. vault — a safe

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