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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.

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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: ground · rest · bank · press · court · deal

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. press — a publisher
  4. ground — crushed
  5. press — to push
  6. ground — a position
  7. bank — for money
  8. court — for sport
  9. rest — a break
  10. ground — the earth
  11. rest — what's left
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bank — for money
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. deal — to handle
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — of law

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