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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — for sport
  3. press — newspapers
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. shower — rain
  6. bat — the animal
  7. band — a ring
  8. press — a publisher
  9. band — a music group
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. press — to push
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. court — of a king
  24. snap — to click

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