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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. suit — clothes
  4. game — a match
  5. face — part of the head
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. suit — to fit
  8. face — to confront
  9. current — happening now
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. face — to point toward
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. current — electric
  15. suit — in cards
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. game — wild animals
  18. press — newspapers
  19. press — to push
  20. court — of law
  21. current — of water
  22. hand — help
  23. press — a publisher
  24. court — for sport

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