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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. cold — an illness
  3. drill — army training
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. track — a song
  7. drill — the tool
  8. court — for sport
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. press — to push
  11. court — of a king
  12. lie — to recline
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. fine — all right
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. press — a publisher
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. drill — a practice
  21. cold — not warm
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. court — of law
  24. track — a path

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