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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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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: rest · court · press · mate · pit · arm · mark · fan

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. pit — a hole
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. press — newspapers
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. rest — what's left
  8. court — of law
  9. rest — what's left
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — a friend
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. press — to push
  14. rest — a break
  15. pit — in a race
  16. court — for sport
  17. press — a publisher
  18. mark — a trace
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mate — to breed
  22. court — of a king
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. mark — a grade

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