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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 116 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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. court — of a king
  3. tear — to rip
  4. squash — to crush
  5. saw — the tool
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. court — for sport
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. charge — electricity
  11. pit — in a race
  12. tear — from crying
  13. court — of law
  14. shower — rain
  15. tear — from crying
  16. press — a publisher
  17. saw — the tool
  18. charge — a price
  19. squash — the sport
  20. press — newspapers
  21. pit — a hole
  22. shower — to wash
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. charge — in control

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