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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 would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. court — of a king
  4. game — a match
  5. clip — a video
  6. court — of law
  7. object — an aim
  8. press — newspapers
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. press — to push
  11. clip — to cut
  12. press — a publisher
  13. last — to go on
  14. clip — for paper
  15. court — for sport
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bank — for money
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. last — finally
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bank — for money
  23. last — final
  24. object — a thing

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