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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 · court · bat · racket · dip · hide · fork · craft

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. bat — the animal
  5. craft — boats
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. press — newspapers
  8. dip — to sink
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. court — of law
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. court — for sport
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. press — to push
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. craft — a skill
  20. court — of a king
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. fork — in a road
  24. hide — to keep secret

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