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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. cue — a hint
  3. bound — tied together
  4. court — of law
  5. bound — certain
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bat — the animal
  8. land — a country
  9. press — a publisher
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — for sport
  12. land — to come down
  13. band — a ring
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — to push
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bound — obliged
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. cue — a signal
  22. band — a music group
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. cue — for pool

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