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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 120 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bound — certain
  4. press — to push
  5. press — newspapers
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. face — part of the head
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. court — for sport
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bark — to shout
  17. press — a publisher
  18. face — to confront
  19. squash — to crush
  20. court — of a king
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. bound — obliged
  23. pitch — completely
  24. squash — the 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