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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. press — newspapers
  4. press — a publisher
  5. bass — the fish
  6. court — of law
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. clip — to cut
  10. court — for sport
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. clip — for paper
  14. press — to push
  15. bass — low music
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. court — of a king
  18. roll — a cake
  19. bat — the animal
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. ball — a great time
  22. roll — a list
  23. ball — a dance
  24. clip — a video

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