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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. fork — in a road
  3. squash — to crush
  4. current — happening now
  5. prune — to trim
  6. current — electric
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. press — to push
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — a trail
  12. current — of water
  13. court — of law
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. prune — to trim
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bass — the fish
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. press — a publisher
  22. bass — low music
  23. press — newspapers
  24. court — for sport

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