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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: sharp · shower · fall · court · cabinet · press · stick · club

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. shower — to wash
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. club — for dancing
  9. sharp — clever
  10. club — a group
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. court — for sport
  15. press — a publisher
  16. fall — the season
  17. court — of a king
  18. press — to push
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. club — for golf
  24. press — newspapers

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