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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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Word bank
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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. court — of a king
  3. mate — a partner
  4. root — of a word
  5. press — newspapers
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. mate — a friend
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. root — the cause
  12. court — of law
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. cell — a phone
  18. root — of a plant
  19. court — for sport
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. press — a publisher
  22. cell — in biology
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. mate — to breed

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