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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. cap — a lid
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. march — the month
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — a video
  8. press — to push
  9. march — music
  10. toast — bread
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — a publisher
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — of ice
  16. clip — for paper
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. court — of a king
  19. march — the month
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. lean — to bend
  22. court — for sport
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lean — thin

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