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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. press — a publisher
  3. firm — decided
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. court — of law
  8. press — to push
  9. bat — the animal
  10. staff — employees
  11. court — of a king
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. staff — a stick
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. court — for sport
  17. firm — steady
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. firm — a company
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. press — newspapers
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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