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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 116 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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. court — of law
  4. court — for sport
  5. press — a publisher
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — a position
  9. press — newspapers
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. ground — crushed
  14. kick — in football
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — a division
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. press — to push
  20. court — of a king
  21. pit — in a race
  22. pass — a permit
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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