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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. ground — crushed
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bound — certain
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. clip — to cut
  7. press — to push
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. press — newspapers
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bound — tied together
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. ground — a position
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. court — for sport
  18. press — a publisher
  19. clip — for paper
  20. court — of law
  21. court — of a king
  22. clip — a video
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bound — obliged

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