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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. season — in sport
  3. plane — a tool
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. drill — the tool
  6. court — of law
  7. press — a publisher
  8. mark — a grade
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. press — to push
  11. mark — a trace
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. press — newspapers
  15. court — of a king
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. season — of the year
  19. vault — a safe
  20. drill — army training
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. drill — a practice

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