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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 120 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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bat — the animal
  4. court — of a king
  5. prune — to trim
  6. squash — to crush
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. squash — the sport
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — help
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. court — of law
  16. press — newspapers
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. court — for sport
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — to push
  24. safe — a strongbox

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