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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of law
  4. press — to push
  5. shower — rain
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. court — of a king
  8. press — a publisher
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. press — newspapers
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. craft — boats
  14. shower — to wash
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. rush — hurry
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. pound — a weight
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. craft — a skill

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