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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. spell — letters
  3. mark — a grade
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of a king
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. chair — a leader
  9. spell — magic
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. court — of law
  12. press — a publisher
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. ball — a great time
  15. press — to push
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. spell — a short time
  18. mark — a trace
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. press — newspapers
  21. ball — a dance
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. straw — dry grass

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