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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. hand — in cards
  3. press — newspapers
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. press — to push
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. hand — help
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. court — of a king
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. court — of law
  13. bound — obliged
  14. court — for sport
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bound — tied together
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bound — certain
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. lash — to lash out

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