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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: clip · press · suit · mine · game · safe · court · mug

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. court — for sport
  4. press — newspapers
  5. press — a publisher
  6. clip — for paper
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. court — of law
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. suit — clothes
  12. mug — a face
  13. suit — to fit
  14. suit — in cards
  15. clip — to cut
  16. game — wild animals
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. clip — a video
  19. court — of a king
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. press — to push
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — to rob

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