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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. press — a publisher
  3. tube — the underground
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of law
  6. press — to push
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. press — newspapers
  9. pass — a permit
  10. root — the cause
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. shower — to wash
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. court — of a king
  17. rush — hurry
  18. fork — in a road
  19. tube — a container
  20. shower — rain
  21. root — of a plant
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. rush — a thrill

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