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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. court — of a king
  4. pitch — completely
  5. chip — for betting
  6. court — of law
  7. field — a subject
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. press — a publisher
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bank — for money
  12. roll — a list
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — farmland
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. court — for sport
  18. chip — to eat
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. bank — of a river
  21. press — to push
  22. press — newspapers
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. roll — a cake

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