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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: tube · bore · court · bass · lash · press · chair · object

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. court — of a king
  3. bore — to tire
  4. court — of law
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. press — newspapers
  7. chair — a leader
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. press — to push
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bore — to drill
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bass — the fish
  15. tube — the underground
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bass — low music
  18. object — to protest
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. tube — a container
  21. object — a thing
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. object — an aim
  24. court — for sport

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