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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. bark — to shout
  4. cap — a hat
  5. press — a publisher
  6. pitch — completely
  7. march — music
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. press — to push
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. press — newspapers
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. cap — of ice
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. march — the month
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. fork — in a road
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. cap — a lid
  23. march — the month
  24. court — of law

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