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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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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: court · fine · clip · press · pop · tube · bay · plane

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. press — to push
  3. fine — all right
  4. pop — music
  5. tube — a container
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of law
  10. tube — the underground
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. press — newspapers
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. fine — high quality
  15. court — of a king
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — for paper
  18. pop — soda
  19. press — a publisher
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. plane — a tool

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