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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: bat · ball · snap · calf · court · rule · mine · press

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. ball — a dance
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. rule — a law
  6. rule — government
  7. bat — the animal
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. court — of law
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. press — newspapers
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. press — to push
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. ball — a great time
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. mine — for digging
  22. court — for sport
  23. press — a publisher
  24. court — of a king

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