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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. court — of a king
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. rash — a series
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. scale — in music
  9. press — newspapers
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. press — to push
  12. rash — hasty
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. press — a publisher
  17. dip — to sink
  18. court — for sport
  19. scale — size or range
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. court — of law

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