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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wake — a trail
  4. swing — music
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. net — for catching
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of law
  12. march — the month
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — in sport
  15. press — a publisher
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. court — of a king
  18. press — newspapers
  19. press — to push
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. swing — in golf
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. swing — to play on

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