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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: press · capital · fork · pound · mug · court

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. court — of law
  3. mug — to rob
  4. court — of a king
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. press — newspapers
  7. pound — a weight
  8. capital — a city
  9. press — to push
  10. fork — in a road
  11. court — for sport
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. press — a publisher
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. capital — money
  17. mug — a cup
  18. fork — to eat with

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